Fate Rewritten: Vertigo
by Feeloves
Summary: **UNDER RENOVATION** Jokes aside, the Mass Effect Universe is dark, scary and dangerous as hell. So what on Earth is a girl to do if she lands smack dab in the middle of it all? Mindoir to end of ME1. Give it a try, it might surprise you.
1. R: Chapter 1 The Butterfly Effect

_Last Updated: 13th March 2013_

**So here we are again. Third time round. Let's hope third time's the charm. I apologize once again everyone. But a writer's gotta do what a writer's gotta do. Let me know what you think.**

**For all those newcomers, this story has been rewritten before, and this is the third time I'm going through everything and editing some stuff I feel didn't sit right the first time. If this makes no sense to you, ignore all the ANs at the end about the edits. Those are just things I have changed for the ease of my old reader's understanding.**

**Every chapter that has an 'R' in front of it means it has been revised.**

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><p><strong>Hello all,<strong>

**I would firstly like to emphasize that this is a rewrite of my previous fic, Vertigo but it will be slightly altered in terms of storyline, characters and writing style. I did this because I felt unsatisfied with the way that story was going and the way I have written it, therefore before I could go too far with it, I decided to change it up. After much contemplation I eventually admitted that the best way to do that was to start over. I could not possibly just edit the chapters and confused my readers, not to mention myself.**

**And hence, here we are.**

**If you have read Vertigo before I hope you will enjoy this one even more. I apologize for dragging you around here and there, but I really do think (and hope) that the improvements will prove satisfactory enough for the change.**

**For new readers, welcome, and I hope you will enjoy this story.**

**Do know that criticisms and compliments are both equally welcomed and I hope you will have as much fun through this journey as I know I would.**

**Just before we start, a casual shout out to Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, Chris7221, Death-Dimension, S058, triforce avenger, Dauntless Dragon and TheRev28 for having a large impact on my writing. Also, to all those that has ever reviewed, subscribed and read my story. Many, many thanks and love from the bottom of my heart. Your words are the reason to why I still am writing.**

**Also, everything that is owned by Bioware, is owned by Bioware.**

**Onwards!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

_(revised)_

**And here it begins...**

_She opened her eyes and took in her surroundings in wonder: large clouds of black smoke dragged across the ominous orange-red sky, broken only by streaks of white lightning. For a moment she wondered if the sky was bleeding, drizzling crimson droplets that tickled her skin. Curious, she caught a stray drop with the tip of her tongue and realized no, not blood, just rain._

_She slowly shifted her gaze to her left, taking in with growing awe at the almost decimated land around her. She imagined how this place could have once been beautiful: lush green grass spreading across to the horizon and beyond, with gorgeous, sweet flowers decorating its borders... Now barely discernible from the burnt bits of black that scattered at the wind's command. For as far as the eye could see there was nothing but haze and soot. In the distance, what she was sure used to be a wise oak tree had crashed to the ground, trunk blackened and torn apart; even the air was pungent and polluted with thick suffocating smoke._

_Perhaps it was time to move? She thought to herself as the rain began to pelt so hard it stung her pale skin. Already she could hear the thunder coming from a distance. Maybe the furious sky was coming back to take revenge on those that destroyed this breathtaking place, but if it was so, she did not want to be there to witness it._

_Clenching her right fist experimentally, she could tell something felt extremely… off. She frowned slightly at the familiar sensation. She knew she had experienced this before, but she just couldn't seem to reach deep enough within herself to place exactly where and when. Just then, a large resounding boom went off, and her thoughts dashed away as quickly as they came. The earth vibrated gently with the aftershock and with added motivation, she began to move._

_All of a sudden, a burning, searing pain of a thousand knives cut through her right side and-_

Sky woke up, gasping for much needed air. Hastily, she lifted her shirt and stared at the pale, creamy, but otherwise perfectly normal skin that had brought her to agony moments before. Which shaky fingers, she touched her waist...

It was a dream, only a dream.

Dragging her hand through her long black hair, she found that it was damp from sweat; a strange phenomenon for it was _freezing_ outside. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she reached for her glasses and put them on, before turning to the clock that read '4:48am' and knew that she would no longer be able to get anymore sleep. Sighing, she threw off her covers and gingerly place her feet on the floor, before taking slow, unsteady steps to the bathroom.

Being a slight insomniac, disturbing dreams were plenty and came often… But this dream felt different, strangely _real... _Never could she remember every detail of a dream with such startling clarity. As she allowed the steaming hot water to cascade down her hair, she mulled over the thought of what brought such images into her mind, what could they possibly mean?

The comforts from the warmth of the water slowly relaxed her mind to a blank. She went through the rituals of shampooing and conditioning her hair, then scrubbing her body without a thought, finding solace in the regular routine. The dream had put her in a disconcerting place and she didn't quite like the feeling.

Turning the water off she wrapped her hair in a towel and put her contacts on before walking naked to her computer.

Starting up her Mac, she went through the usual sites: Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, etc, but there was nothing that interested her there. Her brain was in too much of a frazzled state. Shutting her laptop she grabbed her phone instead and found that she had one unread message.

'_Hey Skylar baby, I'm just about to head to bed so I thought I would text to say that I hope you're having sweet dreams and that I love you and miss you dearly. Goodnight darling. I'll see you tomorrow. Xx'_

Warmth spread through her as she schemed through the text. She spent a moment contemplating if she should reply but eventually decided not to. _'I'll just call him in the morning.'_ She took another casual glance at the clock.

'5:12am' it read. Great, what could she possibly do at this time? She took her time getting dressed; she had no particular agenda for today, so maybe she should get started on her homework? But the thought of _homework_ was enough to make her sick. Standing on her tippy toes she stretched to reach for her sweater, before a slicing pain causes her to gasp and fall backwards, smacking against the wall.

What the hell?

Pain engulfed her and she resisted the urge to scream. Frantically she touched her side only to find that her shirt was soaked through. Bringing her hand to her face, she stared in growing horror at the foreign red liquid that coated her fingers.

In a blink of an eye, she was elsewhere. No, not elsewhere, but back _here_. Ignoring the tears that stung her eyes she looked around in fear and confusion. Where the hell is this place? Was she still dreaming?

This time the sensations felt all too real. The air was so thick that it burnt to breathe, and her side was on fire, like someone dug into her torso with a hook and ripped out a chunk of her meat. She couldn't still be dreaming, could she? Wounds weren't supposed to hurt in dreams were they? Not one to faint in distress, the teenage girl sucked in a deep breath and stamped down the growing fear with an iron first.

_Where the hell was she?_

Her surroundings were exactly as they were in her dream – the orange-red sky, the black soot, the destroyed land, and the ruined oak tree. It was as though she had never left, never woke up. It was still pouring cats and dogs and thunder could be heard in the distance.

Honestly, what the _fuck_ is going on here?

Gathering herself together, Sky took another deep breath to force herself to calm down. There was always a logical explanation to everything and panicking would help no one.

First things first, ensure her own survival.

She tried to remove her shirt, but every movement brought a fresh wave of agony to her side. No longer able to hold back the tears, she allowed them to drip down her face. Taking a deep breath she held on the bottom of her stubborn shirt tight, and in one fluid movement, ripped it off her head.

Off like a bandage, she had thought.

What a stupid idea.

The raw agony in her side caused her to double over and smash face first into the ground. The pain was too real and so fucking much that it didn't matter she was quite literally, eating dirt. A sob ripped from her throat as fresh, uncontrollable tears rolled down her face.

She laid there, body motionless aside from the heaving of her sobs. How did this happen? _Why is this happening?_ Her body trembled from the combination of fear, confusion, and the biting cold wind. Slowly, but surely the innate instinct for survival came back to her. She knew that if she didn't move soon, she would suffocate, freeze, or bleed to death; and none of the options sounded more appealing than her current state.

Groaning, she focused on commanding her body to move. The pain had stemmed down to an agonizing throb and was not as difficult to handle as before. She slowly sat up, each movement difficult but eventually enough to wrap her shirt around her in an attempt to stench the flow of blood. She could not bear to look at the wound, knowing that the sight of it would probably make her lose the thin threads that were holding her together.

Ignoring her own moans and sobs, she forced her body to comply with her demands. Survival first, questions later. Breath heaving, she got onto her bare feet and slowly stumbled towards the direction where most of the smoke was coming from. Her burning, chocking lungs screamed at her to move the other way, but logic told her that there had to be a cause for the fire, and hopefully there would be other survivors that could help.

It quickly transpired to be a slow and extremely tedious journey. Her wound caused her to stumble more times than she dared count and each step intensified the pain fiercely. Already her sleeping shirt was soaked through and blood dripped down her bare legs. She duly noted that she was clad in nothing but her bra and Victoria's Secret panties that were now were coated with blood, grime and dirt. But with all that was going on around her, modesty was the last thought in her mind.

After a while her feet no longer bore any sensations but she was silently thankful for it. The cold numbed her fingers, face and ears through and through, and her head throbbed from the severe lack of blood. Judging by the lovely trail of red she left behind, her poor unprotected body was taking quite a bit of abuse.

Sky failed to notice that she had entered a village until she nearly stumbled into a wall. Startled, she looked around. To all sides of her were burning houses that had one by one crashed to the ground. Regretfully, the strong, deathly, pungent smell became too hard to ignore as she came to her senses. The putrid air reeked of decay and burning flesh. She struggled to control the urge to empty out her already tender stomach but lost it as soon as she noticed the source of the foul stench.

In a square surrounded by burning buildings was a pile of what looked like human bodies that had been shoved atop one another. Her weakened knees gave way as what was left from yesterday's supper splattered on the pavement beside her. Heaving and chocking, the dark-haired girl soon found herself lying on the ground, with quite literally zero energy left to spend.

She had brought herself here, so what now?

To her further horror the sound of ripping flesh quickly became quite noticeable. Forcing her bloodshot eyes open, her gaze shifted from the burning pile of bodies to the large dog-resembling animals beside it. She counted four of them: four huge alien-looking creatures with large soulless eyes tearing off parts of the bodies to consume at their leisure. She froze, eyes following the way their massive teeth dug so easily into the human body, ripping out large chunks of meat at a time and swallowing limbs whole. And then one of them turned its large head to stare straight into her eyes.

Her heart quite literally stopped.

As the creatures bounded towards her, clearly excited by the prospect of fresh meat, she briefly wondered if this was still a dream. If she died here, would she wake up in her bed? Only to find that it was morning?

Every fibre of her being screamed at her to run, to get up on her feet and run away. It didn't matter where, anywhere but here.

But her body would no longer move. Everything hurt, and even attempting to lift a finger caused her muscles to shake in agony. No, this was it. All she could do was stare into the eyes of her impending doom, a strange sense of calm overcoming her. She prayed that this would be easy, that they would tear into her throat, or heart and be done with it. She didn't want to be played with for her mind had taken all the pain it possibly could.

Please, let enough be enough.

Slowly, black began to creep into her vision and she closed her eyes in relief, welcoming the darkness that beckoned her. At least if she was unconscious, she wouldn't feel the pain of those sharp, cruel teeth.

There was a shout, what sounded like gunfire, roars and then-

Nothing.

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><p><strong>So what do you think? Old readers, is it better? Worse? Do you think it was worth the switch? Would you still keep reading?<strong>

**Newer ones, does this satisfy you enough to want to continue reading?**

**Again, I want to emphasize my extreme gratitude to those who will be staying. And again, reviews in terms of both criticism and compliments are both very welcomed.**

**I hope you stay tuned!**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

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><p><strong>Edit: March 13 - not much change in this chapter. Skylar is now our OCs official name.<strong>


	2. R: Chapter 2 Wizard of Oz

_Last Updated: 14th of March 2013_

**###**

**Chapter 2**

_(revised)_

**We are, where?**

"She's coming round."

_But I really don't want to._

Everything hurt and her side was on fire. The very real, very present pain was the only reason she didn't bother questioning her mortality. Then again, if wounds hurt in dreams, knowing her luck, they would probably hurt in the afterlife too.

"I still say we should have left her to die."

_I second that- ouch, thanks._

Sky wearily opened her eyes, thankful that it was dark out. She didn't think her body needed the extra stress of trying to orientate to brightness. Her head already felt like there were a million hammers slamming repeatedly into every nerve of her brain and she could not even come up with words to describe the pain on her waist.

"Don't you think there has been enough deaths already?" With a slightly clearer head she could make out the muffled voice as a female. The voice held a tired edge, with a small but distinct tinge of grief.

"Still… Better to let her die and get this over with than be disappointed later." The other was a boy, voice a little gruff from lack of use. It was low and rough, with a vibrating undertone that made him sound marginally more dangerous than the girl.

Or perhaps it was the fact that he was talking about killing her that altered her perceptions.

The girl sighed, "I know... But I couldn't just leave her there. Especially at the hand of those monsters. It was just too much like- like Eli."

"Yeah... I get it." There was a pause in conversation and some shuffling around. "But have you seen her...? She looks just like one of those girls from the ads. Skin and bones... How are we going to make sure she stays alive? And that wound..."

"We'll figure it out."

"We're supposed to stay alive, not take in orphans."

Now that she was alive and breathing, the desire to die slowly disappeared. Human voices? That meant that her chances of survival had just increased tremendously. With added incentive she turned her head, only to let out a loud, almost pitiful moan when the small movement led to a thousand knives shoving themselves into her brain.

The girl muttered something dismissive before walking over. The boy huffed, but left the situation alone for now.

"Welcome to the world of the living." The girl said, addressing her as she stepped closer to the makeshift bed, helping Sky up slowly. The stranger was most definitely Caucasian, but looked much younger than Sky had expected. She had short-cropped dirty blond hair and the strangest colored eyes that Sky had ever seen. In the dim lighting they seemed almost purple... Could she be wearing contacts?

"Thirsty?" the stranger asked, reaching behind her to grab a bottle of water. Not nodding with fear that any added movements would bring back the knives she just took the bottle gratefully and downed the entire content.

"Hey now, take it easy." The blonde warned, but made no move to slow her.

Sky nodded experimentally, the knives had settled into a dull throb that was much easier to handle. "Thanks." She replied in relief, handing the now empty bottle back the girl.

"You're welcomed." The water had a strange calming effect on her body: her thundering heartbeat slowed to its regular tempo and the big bucket of pain that she could only describe as her body felt more like her own. In fact, her torso no longer screamed with every movement she made. She raised an eyebrow at the smirking girl. "Painkillers." She explained as she casually waved her hand at the empty bottle.

"Where-" Despite the liquid she was given, her throat still felt parched and words were difficult to form due to her dry mouth. "Am I?"

Looking around as her eyes adjusted better to the darkness, she noted that they were in a stale white tent, its walls yellow from dirt and use. It was dimly lit by two lamps, similar to the small rectangular white ones that she often saw photographers use. There was a metal table towards the left corner, covered in odd-looking equipment that did not look familiar to her whatsoever. Sky also discovered that she was perched on one of the two makeshift beds, made out of wooden crates pushed together and covered with a thin cloth, and by her feet she noted two large backpacks, filled to the brim, together with more equipment that she did not recognise.

Honestly, she felt like she was in one of those zombie apocalypse movies.

But of course Sky didn't just mean, at which place was she located. She meant, _where the fuck am I? What sort of weird voodoo dream is this? How the hell did I get this wound? And who the hell are you two? _But something told her perhaps this was not the best situation to voice all her questions at once. A very wise decision considering what happened next.

A soft click and a whirl caught her attention immediately. Sky shifted her gaze to the other occupant in the room. _Is that a-?_

_Out of the frying pan and into the fire. _She thought as she stared straight down the barrel of a very large, terrifying looking gun.

"The question is, who are _you_?" Gulping in fear her eyes traveled from the gun to the person holding it. He was older than the girl; while the blonde had a teenage physique, this one was undoubtedly an adult. He had dark brown hair that looked almost black in the shadows and eyes as strange as the girl's. Siblings perhaps? Or cousins, but they were definitely related and the man looked too young to be her father. In another situation, perhaps she would have appreciated the way his muscle tee defined his sinewy good looks but for now all she could see was him pulling the trigger and her dying as a result. "Well?" he pressed, beautiful eyes narrowing as they stared her down.

Her tongue was lodged in her throat. "I-" she stammered, the fear rubbed her brain blank and she really could not think of an answer to give him. Who was she? Well, that should be an easy enough answer to give no?

_Just tell him your name. Just say your name before he shoots your brains out Goddammit._

Trying to get hold of a situation that was unraveling fast, the blonde quickly stepped forward and placed her hand on her relative's arm, pushing it down firmly so that he aimed his gun elsewhere. "Gentle O, you're scaring her." She said softly before directing her sharp eyes at Sky. "Look, you don't have to be afraid. We didn't save your life just to kill you." she explained cautiously, "My name is Jane and this is my cousin Owen."

Sky swallowed hard, before saying, "My name is Sky. Short for Skylar Law."

Jane nodded, shooting her cousin a look that caused him to return one of anger before holstering his gun to his side. He moved to a metal table that stood at the side of the room and crossed his arms, still watching her with a look that harbored between suspicion and contempt. "Where are you from Sky? How did you get here?"

The gentle voice of the girl drew her attention once more. "Where exactly is here?"

Jane stared at her, frowning. "You don't know where you are?"

Should she tell her the truth? That she really, truly had no idea? Maybe it was the look of absolute lost that tugged on the other girl's heartstrings because the blonde then sighed and shook her head. "You're currently on a human colony called Mindoir."

"Mindoir?" Sky repeated, testing the word out on her tongue. Like an itch at the back of her mind she knew that word sounded familiar. Why _did _it sound so damn familiar? "Please…" She herself was surprised at the wariness and confusion that coated her voice. "I really just want to go home."

She hated how she sounded so small and insignificant. But home- oh home was her parents and her two annoying, yet absolutely lovable older brothers. Home was warm and painless and easy where homework was her only worry. Home was her darling boyfriend, Sean, and not large scary monsters trying to eat her or the sight of burning bodies. Home was a hot shower, clean clothing, and her soft, comfortable, king-sized bed.

The two cousins shared a look. Owen finally sighed at pushed himself off the table. "Sorry Sky, like Jane had said, we're all orphans now. There is no 'home'."

His words hit her like a ton of bricks. Could it be true? That there was no way for her to go back? But what would _he_ know? Where are _they _from? The panic becoming clear and evident in her eyes as she scooted further away from the pair. Maybe they were the enemies here? Maybe they were the ones that brought her into this messed up situation.

Worse of all, her side was starting to burn again.

Jane turned to confer with Owen, whispering in hushed voices. Her mind had worked her up into such a state of fright that the words they uttered made no sense, something about 'slavers' and 'batarian' and 'run aways'.

"How did I get here?" Sky asked, interrupting the dark-haired boy mid-sentence.

Jane turned to her. "You don't remember that either?" Sky shook her head. "You were under attack by varren. We found you, and brought you here."

"Yeah. Wasting two of our medi-gel on the way." Owen added, ignoring the look that Jane shot at him.

Varren? The other girl must be referring to the creatures that she was so very sure spelt her death. Slowly, realization dawned upon her. Sky froze in disbelief. Coincidence maybe…? Because surely not…

The final chapter of Mass Effect, the best third-person shooter role-playing game that she had ever came across, would be coming out in less than a month, and because of that she had just finished her perfect play-through of ME2 in preparation. The details and information about the game were still fresh in her mind. No wonder the words sounded so familiar. How could she forget Mindoir…? The human colony that was Shepard's home should she had chosen to go down the 'colonist' path. Varren? They were always the annoyance that followed blood-pack members, nipping and biting at her heels, pouncing up whenever she was distracted in a firefight.

A joke perhaps? But the pain… The all too real sights, sounds and smells… No, it can't be a joke _or _a dream.

Even the use of Medi-gel made sense. And that strange, alien looking gun Owen was carrying.

Needing to test out her theory she asked, "What… What happened here? Why is everything so… destroyed?"

**###**

He looked on suspiciously as the stranger fell silent. No gratitude? No words of thanks for saving her life at the risk of their own? What a brat.

Owen was not a mean spirit; no, in fact, before all this happened to his home he never once could have imagine even hurting a girl just because she was a 'burden'. A month ago, hell, even a week ago he would have knelt by her side and tried to comfort her with meaningless words, but would have tried all the same. He looked down at his clenched fists; he couldn't afford to be so kind anymore. _His heart_ couldn't afford it.

He shifted his gaze to the girl, 'Sky' she called herself. She was very obviously South East Asian, probably of Chinese descendants, not that he knew much about other ethnicity of humans since he had never been on Earth, but they had to learn the basics back in school. She was reasonably tall, standing at 5'7" and had porcelain skin with long dark-brown hair that reminded him of his own. With expressive brown eyes and a small stature, she had a sort of meek, pet-like quality to her, something that he didn't really find unattractive.

Even now as his eyes subconsciously travelled up her long bare legs barely covered by a thin cloth they had thrown over her, he couldn't deny that she was a pretty girl. Owen had not met many Asians in his life and the degree of flawlessness in her skin and soft features surprised him. Even with dirt and blood covering most of her exposed parts, Owen was still a man; and it was somewhat hard to ignore a lingerie-clad girl, life and death situation or not, sitting right in front of him.

But it wasn't the fact that she was pretty that was the problem; it was the innocence that shone behind her brown eyes, framed with light lashes. Those chocolate brown depths reflected a kind of purity that he felt needed protecting, something that was once present behind his own cousin's eyes, something that he had failed to keep there, despite him trying his hardest.

_Shut up._ He told himself when he felt empathy slowly leaking into his chest. Closing his heart, he forced all hints of compassion out of his veins. _The only one that matters is Jane. She needs to get through this alive._ He returned to scowling at the dark-haired girl. _And this brat is just going to make that all the more difficult._

"What… What happened here? Why is everything so… destroyed?" She asked timidly. Owen felt his anger flare up once again; was she mocking them? Did she really not know?

Her cousin grabbed his arm softly, in comfort or warning, Owen wasn't sure. But with that gesture he just clenched his jaws and kept his mouth shut. Better let Jane do the talking, he didn't want a sniveling, crying girl to handle, as much as he wanted her gone.

But still, as he searched Jane's hardened face, he felt a pang of sadness stab him in the chest. Although she was doing her very best to hold it all together he could see her fraying at the edges, could even hear it in the outer edges of her normally strong, confident voice as she went through the details of how they were under attack by batarians. And this hurt him. He had been taking care of Jane for as long as he can remember. Having lost his parents at a very young age, he was welcomed with open arms into his uncle's family. He remembered how ecstatic Jane was at the thought of having a new brother. After all, being a single child could be rather boring.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. It took Jane a while to break through his barriers, but she tried anyway, and never gave up even when he was cruel to her. He was grateful for that though; he shuddered to think what life would have been like if he didn't eventually open up to her and her family.

**###**

_So I was right._ Sky thought to herself as she listened carefully to the blonde's description of what happened, all while watching her face for any signs of deceit. But all Sky could find was pain behind her stoic mask. Even though Jane's face remained expressionless, her eyes could not disguise the storm of rage and grief that erupted too close to the surface.

That kind of pain couldn't be faked.

Testing her luck once more she just _had_ to ask the following question. _I mean, what are the chances?_ "I know that this may come off as an odd question, but could I know your last name...?"

"It's Shepard, Jane and Owen Shepard."

Ah, she should've known.

Sky closed her eyes and sighed, struggling to disguise her inner turmoil. _How_ could this have happened? _Why?_ Lord, this should not even be logically possible! Maybe this was some sort of weird Final Fantasy like adventure where she was made out of pyreflies, or dreamt up into reality.

Either way, due to some unknown reason, she had somehow managed to land her ass in a Mass Effect remake.

_Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore._

_**###**_

**First things first, thank you very much for those readers that chose to follow me through. I really do feel like this was worth the change. I'm very glad that you decided to stay tuned anyway. Fraught not, I do aim to _try _to get this story up to date as fast as possible. However I do warn you that my mock examinations are next week so I might take a break for a while (Or maybe not, knowing my procrastination, writing might just be the reason why I don't study. =P )**

**Secondly, thank you for reviewing, again, like I said, I really do appreciate and take into heart everything you guys say. I really am not a brilliant writer and my English isn't top notched, so please do tell me if you have spotted a mistake or feel something is a little off. I'm trying to keep this as high-grade and realistic as possible.**

**Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, Gummy'Fish'Lover, Nanobot5770, Rosiegirl52 and Death-Dimension, thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you understand the reasons behind the change.**

**And to clear things up, the reason Sky got injured in the previous chapter shall be explained in due time! =]**

**But anyway, this chapter. What do you think? Realistic enough of a switch of POV? (If you had read my previous fic you would have realized that I never switched POVs there, another mistake I wanted to correct by changing it up) Do you think Sky reacted in a way that a normal person would have, if they were stuck in that situation? And most important of all, and it shames me to ask this, spotted any blatantly obvious grammatical errors? *blush*.**

**Either way, I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter!**

**Thank you for reading, reviewing and/or subscribing. See you next time.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

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><p><strong>EDIT: Didn't change much here, just grammar and a little bit of the dialogue is all. Also, made sure that Sky's name is actually Sky. Gave her the last name Law.<strong>

**Worth a re-read though. Attempted to describe more of the surroundings and also delve deeper into Owen's personality. Oh and description of Sky. =]**


	3. R: Chapter 3 One More Day

_Last Updated: 14th March 2013_

_Thoughts_

Normal

"Speech"

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><p><strong>###<strong>

**Chapter 3**

_(revised)_

**Don't Forget**

_I have never been to Kansas, but I'm sure that this doesn't even come close._

Heavy gunfire thudded periodically against the wooden crate that separated Sky from a certain death. The meager cover shook and groaned from the assault as the teenager prayed for it to hold together. She was not, by any means, religious, yet she found herself sending out the desperate words more and more often as time went by. She briefly wondered if she was, as her best friends used to so eloquently put it 'finding her way to being saved' or if her brushes against death had made her seek out whatever help she could find. Whichever the case, her pleading was obviously ignored for the crate soon exploded around her, showering her with little bits of wood. She groaned as she duck and rolled towards the other side of the room, crashing into a brick wall that had given way during the fire, leaving a 3 and a half feet tall height that she could crouch behind.

The muscle and skin on the right side of her waist moaned in protest against her sudden movements. She sighed, grasping the still-very tender wound with her left hand while keeping an eye trained on the attackers ahead.

She was very thankful she was not alone, just as she was thankful that she was even breathing at that moment. Somewhere in the midst of the fight were two others seeking shelter from various inanimate objects. There was Owen: the handsome, dark-haired, yet extremely cold man with an assault rifle in his well-trained hands, seeking out opportunities to leave cover and return fire whenever possible. And then there was his cousin, Jane.

Sky struggled to find words that could describe the majestic way at which Jane fought. If she had not known any better, she would have assumed that she came from a background of fighters, not farmers. Both inside and outside of a fight, Jane was someone who radiated confidence and certainty. Despite being so young, at 16 years of age, she was the alpha of this little pack. Looking at her now, with her lips set in a grim line and her breathtaking eyes flashing with determination, she was a force to behold and a sight to treasure. Despite hating, _hating_ all forms of confrontation, there was a certain beauty in the way Jane moved, hurdled and retaliated that made it difficult for her to tear her eyes away.

At first, Sky had assumed that Owen was the man that would lead this story into creation. He was not someone to take lightly either, having the ability to confidently switch between the assortment of weapons that he carried around with great efficiency and swiftness. The way he held himself, the way he walked, talked and carried through with his plans made him superior over Jane at first sight. And yet, as the week carried on, it slowly became blatantly obvious that the female Shepard had far more potential to be their hero. She was ruthless and unstoppable in a fight, but displayed an extreme amount of intelligence and rightly-placed kindness out of it. Sky slowly came to the conclusion that she was _definitely _the one Bioware had planned to save them all from the Reapers.

The three survivors were armed in a variety of weapons that they had managed to pick up from the dead bodies of their batarian enemies along the way. In Sky's grasp was a fairly simple handgun that was sufficient enough in power and offered little recoil, which was a good thing, considering little movements were still a discomfort to her healing wound. Larger steps, such as the duck and roll she had performed earlier, would sometimes leave her gasping in pain. Already her wound had split open twice during the course of the week. With the lack of medical facilities, painkillers, or medi-gel there was little either Shepards could do for her except help her along once in a while, albeit one more reluctantly than the other.

She thought over how quickly the past three days had passed; on the off occasion that she managed to take a breather she kept expecting, hoping to find herself back in her own bed. Sure, the prospect of being in the game that she deemed to be the best in this world was exciting for about the first 5 seconds, before the crashing pain of her wounds, added with the fact that they could very likely _die_ if any of them were caught, replaced said excitement rather quickly. But no, all her praying and hoping were to no avail, and instead she opened her eyes to the same ghastly orange-red sky. Every. Single. Time.

So what else could she do? Jane helped wrapped her wound up as much as possible, but with the lack of clean cloth and disinfectants, the wound would not heal properly. They had enough to spare her a medi-gel pack every alternate day, much to Owen's protest, but she was pretty sure she would have died of the wound infection without it. She also managed to steal some clothing from several abandoned houses. Yes, she knew that one should not steal from the dead or missing, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

It also helped to discover that she was actually a rather good shot.

"_When you're taking a photograph, you have to breathe out. If you hold your breath, your hands will shake. Breathing out gives you the stability to be accurate." _The voice of her high school photography teacher resounded in her head. Perhaps it was not wise to apply the same lessons to both photography and blowing a batarian's brains out, but it hadn't failed her so far.

Absentmindedly, she mulled over Jane's decision to keep her alive. Having an extra body to feed, clothe and heal proved to be difficult. They had to run at a slower pace than they could before, and take breaks relatively often due to her wound. But Sky chose not to delve too much into her choice and decided to just be grateful that they allowed her to tag along, since she knew that she would not have survived otherwise.

A break in the rain of gunfire broke her out of her reverie. There was a clatter of equipment being reloaded. Taking the opportunity, Jane, Owen and herself leaned over whatever covers they had taken refuge behind and returned fire on the attacking batarian slavers. These fights normally take quite a while and usually resulted in one or more of them getting heavily injured. It was never a fair fight, they were virtually always outnumbered two to one and the three of them had nothing to offer them protection aside from the clothing on their backs and whatever ruins was left of the villages

The first time she ran into these aliens she had recoiled in horror and disgust. She could not have prevented it even if she tried; they were made of stuff that children back home had nightmares about. Four almost-pitch black eyes blinking in unison together with the many nostrils they seemed to have. She remembered how she had to resist all urges to scream in fright, but her auto-reflex had shot that one dead before she could even register the yellow, green blood that splattered across the floor. Her first of many kills. She used to wonder how soldiers in the front lines did it, but now she knew.

She glanced to her right and saw that Owen was signaling for her to cover him. She nodded and immediately started firing in the general direction of the enemy.

_There are no second chances in War._ She thought as she shot one of the nearer aliens through the neck.

"Nice shot." Owen complimented her in slight surprise as he vaulted over her brick wall to crouch down next to her.

"Thanks."

She wisely neglected to tell him she had been aiming for the _other_ batarian.

**###**

At times like these he often told himself to think of it as a dream; a very long, really bad, excruciatingly terrifying dream.

The events of the past week have been so suppressed in his memories that it occasionally took him by surprise to remember that he had a life before all this, before the shooting and fighting and deaths. The only time he allowed himself to think of his past was to relive the lessons he had learnt from hunting, anything else hurt too much.

_Exhale, and shoot. _He was careful to ensure that he only left his cover when there was a break on the other side. What he never understood was how come the batarians never thought of a better tactic to reload while the rest were firing. But hey, he wasn't complaining. _One down, four to go._

After a moment's pause he could tell that the enemies were gaining ground. He knew that his position would soon be compromised should he continue to stay behind the metal case.

Looking around he waved and caught the eye of their newest 'member'. Nodding his head towards the enemy he mouthed 'cover me' and waited for the firing to start. Thankfully, her location was near enough and without much thought he ran towards her and jumped over the low brick wall to crouch by her side.

"Nice shot." He said in surprise as one of her bullets caught an advancing batarian in the throat, spraying the gooey blood everywhere as he went down. Throats were messy stuff.

"Thanks." She replied nonchalantly.

He wasn't really sure what to think of this girl. In short, she was quite the enigma. He could not sense even a hint of malicious intentions from her, yet her story, the things she told them about her past, just did not add up. In another situation he might have pressed further, to discover the truth behind her half-hearted lies, but there was no time to waste on such details.

Every day for the week had been a fight for their lives. Sure she was a burden, slowing them down from their otherwise accelerated pace, but he understood Jane's reasoning. The girl gave them hope; that if someone so helpless and clueless could survive through this onslaught, perhaps there would be other survivors as well: friends, family that they did their best to forget about. Against his better judgment, he felt himself becoming more accustomed to having the dark-haired Asian around.

Misery did love company after all.

"Status!" His blond cousin barked out at him from the opposite side of the room. Owen reached behind him to retrieve a small radio device that he had managed to tinker with to sync with the Alliance's frequency. Lifting the black box to his ear he struggled to listen to it over the deafening sound of gunfire.

"ETA, 20 minutes."

He watched her grit her teeth in frustration. This part was the worst, the waiting. The batarians had some sort of machine that disrupted the frequency of radio waves and it messed with all the distress calls they had sent through. Eventually, two days ago, they had decided that taking down one of the machines was worth the risk. It was very heavily guarded, and they had managed it in the end, but here they are now, cornered as they waited for help to arrive. "Why the hell are they still here? Shouldn't they be running the other direction if they know the Alliance is on their way?"

Owen shrugged. "I don't think batarians are known for their intelligence." Then realizing that that was quite a racist comment he corrected himself. "Or at least, this group definitely isn't."

"Heads up." Sky's softer, foreign-accented voice interrupted their discussion. "We have reinforcements."

At the enemy's side twenty other batarians joined their most fallen crew. He cursed underneath his breath. Five to six were a stretch, but nothing they hadn't done before. But over twenty? How the hell are they supposed to get out of this alive?

"Shit." Jane wiped the sweat of her brow using the back of her hand, obviously coming to the same conclusion, before tightening her grip on her weapon. "Okay, we only need to hold out for a little more than twenty minutes. We've managed to survive this together for a whole week. Twenty more minutes will be nothing."

Owen found himself nodding in unison with Sky. He shared a look with the younger girl on his right; nothing spoke camaraderie like a looming death threat and the frustration of survival being so damn close.

"If we ever get out of this alive." He muttered to her. "Remind me to apologize."

"Whatever for?" She asked, smirking slightly, knowing full well he was implying to how he had been quite an asshole to her.

Owen rolled his eyes and did not answer. He did mean _after_. For now, she was still that annoying burden.

Once again there was a break from oncoming fire; spurred by the motivation of help coming, all three were quick to retaliate.

Jane called out something that neither of them could hear over the noise. Seemingly more desperate, she screamed at them to hold their fire. Surprised, Owen stopped at once and leaned back down, pulling Sky with him.

"What?" he asked, frowning at his cousin.

She gestured to the enemy. "Listen."

There was a silence, and then a high pitch noise, like something being powered up. He stared at Jane's steadily widening eyes, before the source of the sound registered in his brain a second too late.

They had brought out the heavies.

Almost mechanically something in his gut forced him through the following motions without thought. He grabbed Sky's waist, ignoring her yelp of confusion and surprise, before shoving her with all his might towards Jane's direction. Her small frame quite literally _flew_ from their position. Not surprising considering the fact that the girl weighed less than 100 pounds.

He watched Jane's mouth open in a scream, the fear and grief that had been riding up so close to the surface the past week finally breaking through, shattering her composure completely.

"Don't-" he began.

He felt the thin brick wall explode around him first, throwing him backwards. There was no way he would survive this impact, his luck had officially run out. All he was grateful for was that Jane won't be alone. There wasn't even time to register pain for everything went dark before he even reached the ground.

**###**

**Third chapter in three days? I'm on a roll. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did rewriting it. How does it feel for an action scene? Is it too slow?**

**Changes:**

**Those who have read my previous Vertigo would realize that my events now span over a longer period of time. I hope to get more character development and story in this way.**

**Also, I'm rather sad about Owen. I actually grew to really like him writing the these two chapters. =[**

**Ah heartbreak.**

**I also know that the past few (and possibly the next few) chapters has been and will be quite dark. I promise that the humour will pick up after. I hope you won't think of me as morbid or dark, because I really am not.**

**Again thank you Helljumper1337 and Nanobot5770 for reviewing. Also to everyone else for reading and subscribing.**

**Constructive criticisms are welcomed. This is a learning experience after all.**

**Until tomorrow then! (Hopefully)**

**Much love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

* * *

><p><strong>Edit: Woah. Didn't do anything for this chapter. I actually quite liked it. Poor Owen though. =[<strong>


	4. Chapter 4 Hairline Fracture

**###**

**Chapter 4**

**We'll burn down something beautiful  
><strong>

"If we ever get out of this alive. Remind me to apologize."

Sky smirked, eyeing the man next to her. "Whatever for?" Her voice was the perfect façade of blissful ignorance. She had to choke back her laughter when he rolled his eyes and refused to answer.

Contrary to what most might think, Sky actually liked Owen. Sure he was rough around the edges and quipped up increasingly often that they should just kill her and be done with it but the protectiveness and love that he showed for his cousin was something she greatly admired. No person could be hated for showing that sort of love, at least not by her.

Bringing her attention back to the fight she was glad that they only had to hold out for another 20 minutes. To say that the past few days have been Hell would be a dire understatement: every bone, muscle and inch of skin hurt like nothing else. Even back home, she was a far cry from athletic. Having no involvement in any form of contact sports whatsoever it was a miracle that her body has held out this long. Her only saving grace were her interests in dance and rock climbing, both giving her the agility and flexibility to learn the most basic of maneuvers that the Shepards had taught her, and allowed her to keep up, although barely.

Just as she was about to bring down her sixth- or was it seventh? enemy of the night Owen tapped her arm, giving her enough time to stop shooting, before he pulled her down next to him. She was suddenly all-too aware of his muscular, sweaty body panting next to her as she crashed into his chest, caught by surprise.

Wow really? _Stupid hormones._

"What?" he asked, frowning at Jane, not noticing the flustered teen.

The blonde places her index finger on her lips and gestured to the enemy. "Listen."

Sky strained her ears, unsure of what exactly she was supposed to be hearing when suddenly she felt Owen's large hands wrap around her waist. She let out a cry of surprise and pain as his rough fingers pierced through the tender skin of her side wound. But before she could protest she found herself being _lifted off into air_ and propelled towards Jane's general direction. In any other situation, she would have been impressed with the sheer strength behind Owens' toss, but she became quite preoccupied with trying to prevent any additional injury as the ground rose up to meet her.

Her body hit the floor beside Jane with a sickening crunch, and the shooting pain on her right shoulder told her that she had _definitely_ just broke something. The pain temporarily blocked out all her other senses. Once again, tears sprang into her eyes as she choked down a sob.

Muffled and seemingly from a great distance she heard a girl scream before an explosion caused rain of bricks on fire to shower down upon her. A few managed to hit their target, smacking against her arm and back as she covered her head against the force.

Slowly, as though the world reverted itself to normal, her senses returned to her. Gasping she turned around to observe the scene, curse words on the tip of her tongue to throw at the man who caused her so much additional pain. She knew he hated her, but really? Did he really dislike her _that _much?

_And just as I was starting to think that I was getting through to_-Her words were quickly silenced by the look of utter terror on Jane's face as the girl scrambled to where her cousin was previously crouching. Sky blinked, details of the event that just occurred not registering in her head. It was only until she saw the little that was left of the brick wall and the blood that splattered a good 10 feet away from it that her eyes widened in horror.

_Where is- _she searched the area in desperation, refusing to acknowledge the evidence that was so clearly laid out before her. A hunched over figure at the back of the room caught her eye as she squinted to get a better look. Turning away swiftly, she threw up all over the ground beside her.

_Oh Owen…_ She thought as the tears trailed uncontrollably down her face, trying to scrub her brain clean of the image that would forever be burnt into her mind.

He was no longer recognizable; the skin of whatever was still attached to his body was mostly burnt to crisp. The stump where his right arm used to be was bleeding profusely, causing a pool of blood to collect around his dead body. She wasn't sure what was worse, the acrid smell of his still singeing flesh or the inhuman screams of agony that erupted from the normally calm and collected Jane as she pulled his corpse towards her chest.

Sky looked on, helpless. He had saved her life and wasted his own.

Where was the justice in that?

**###**

"NO!" She screamed as she watched, desperately wishing she could reach him in time and yet knowing that there was no chance in hell. Sky crashed down beside her with the familiar sound of a bone snapping into half, emitting a cry of agony. But Jane paid her no mind, all she could see was Owen's eyes steeling with determination – pale purple eyes that were so much like her own. He mouthed something, but before he could get more than a word out the missile hit, shattering the brick wall into pieces like it was made out of paper and catching her cousin straight in the chest.

The explosion flung bits of brick in all directions but Jane barely registered the pain of the rocks raining down on her. Within milliseconds she was on her feet, ignoring all fears of leaving cover as she ran after him. Her shoes squelched sickly against the pool of blood as she fell onto her knees beside his body, gathering whatever was left of him into her arms.

She could vaguely hear the moaning and crying of a wounded animal, only to realize that the sounds were coming from her. Nothing could stop her tears. Her chest felt like a turian had sunk his claws into her chest and ripped out her heart, and proceeded to play with it. Like a dam that finally gave way; everything that she had been holding onto so tightly the past week came flooding out.

"_Take her and run." Hannah Shepard muttered urgently as she grabbed her hand and forced it into Owen's. "And don't look back."_

_Jane barely had the time to spare one last look at the two people who had brought her up before Owen wrenched her away from them, running and pulling her along in the opposite direction._

"_No!" she shouted, struggling against his grip. "We can't leave them behind!" But her cousin did not heed her words, in fact, they spurred him to run faster, dragging her with such force that she was convinced her arm would pop out of its socket. "Owen, stop it. What are you doing? We can't leave them behind!"_

_Again, her words did nothing. She was just about to force her arm out of his grip, broken bones be damned, when she witnessed a scene she knew would be the cause of the many nightmares to come._

_Her sweet, hardworking parents were no fighters, but for their children oh did they try. Armed to the teeth in whatever little equipment they could find they distracted the batarians for almost thirty full seconds. But considering the fact that the deadliest weapon that they owned was a kitchen knife and a normal hunting gun, against the advance weaponry that the slavers held they didn't stand a chance._

_Jane's protests died on her lips as she watched her mother fall to the ground first, and then her father soon after. But those thirty seconds were enough for them to gain sufficient ground to disappear in the woods just beyond their garden. That night, neither cousin slept as they both pretended that the liquid trailing down their faces were due to the rain._

Jane tried to stop the onslaught but another memory hit, faster and harder than the first.

_They thundered into the house at the sound of a baby wailing, guns up and ready to retaliate should a fight follow. The living room was a gruesome scene, with blood and guts littered just about everywhere. Her cousin paused at the sight, eyes widening in disbelief as he managed to discern two bodies out of the wreckage that looked like they were torn apart by wild animals. With more pressing matters in her mind she shouted at him. "Owen! Elizabeth!" as she ran up the stairs, two steps at a time. She ignored the clenching of her heart at the knowledge of the death of her two closest relatives and forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand; there was still time to save the baby._

_They came here hoping to find that her aunt's family had survived the past two days. Jane Michaels was her mother's sister, best friend, and her Godmother. They were so close that Hannah had named her daughter after her. They never failed to spend every family holiday together and to know that such an event could never occur again… It nearly killed her._

_Reaching the nursery she slammed the door open. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a large four-legged mammal growling at the crying baby, ready to go for her throat at any moment. Just as she was about to shoot the varren that threatened her Eli's safety she felt a tremendous force crash her into the ground._

_She could do nothing but watch as the first varren toppled the crib over… _

"_Please, Oh God no!" Jane screamed, fighting against the second snarling creature that pinned her down._

… _and ripped her baby cousin into half._

_She wasn't sure what happened then. The next thing she could remember was Owen carrying her body out of the house that was burning to the ground._

_But the baby never stopped crying._

She was so useless, so damn helpless to prevent or change anything: first her parents, then Elizabeth, and then Owen.

_Owen! _Her heart moaned as she clutched on harder to the body of the man she grew to love as a brother. She had reached a stage of grief that she was sure her mind could no longer handle. Incoherent words, curses and prayers fluttered in and out of her mouth. She didn't- couldn't-

Just let the pain stop.

**###**

Sky let out a whimper of pain as the batarian grabbed her roughly by her shoulder, applying pressure onto her injured shoulder. She refused to allow them the satisfaction of hearing her scream so she held it in, clamping her jaw down tightly against the pain as he dragged her towards the rest of the group, her gun clattering uselessly on the floor.

His partner grabbed both her wrists and tugged her upwards, forcing her onto her knees. The pain was blinding and despite her best efforts she trembled from the weakness. Her side bled heavily, soaking her 'borrowed' clothing through, but worst of all was the fury as that lit her from within as she heard them cackling with laughter, clearly enjoying the display of agony and grief.

"What do we do with the other girl?" Another asked, gesturing towards the crying Jane who refused to release her grip on Owen's body.

The one holding her wrists, their superior or so it seemed, tilted his head to the right, observing Jane with little care. "She is gone. That one. No real use to us. We could sell her body to make some profit, but if it's too much work it is easier to just kill her."

He nodded at the trooper standing by Jane. Sky's heart lurched when she saw that despite how much he roughed her up, she held onto Owen with an iron grip. The blonde didn't even respond to his actions, too caught up in her own internal pain to pay much attention to anything else.

"No!" Sky shouted when the batarian gave up and reached for his gun. She forced herself to her feet, slamming her uninjured shoulder into their captain's throat. He let go of her wrist in surprise as he released a curse in pain. Without stopping Sky pushed past the pain and sprinted towards the trooper, smashing her entire body weight into him. Caught unaware, the batarian stumbled and crashed to the ground with Sky on top of him. Cursing, he swung his hand around, smacking her in the temple with the butt of his gun.

She was out almost instantly.

**###**

**A shorter chapter this time. But hey celebration! I just hit 10,000 words! =D**

***Party noises***

**Either way though, I still have a long way to go before I reach the same point that I did last time. I'm quite literally writing twice as much to describe the same scenes. But I really do think it is worth it. =D**

**I'm really quite exhausted today though so I was sort of not sure about posting this up now. But I really couldn't wait. I will reread it after my nap. Still, don't hesitate to let me know if you feel like something is off.**

**Owen's dead. =[ It really sucks. =[**

**Also Nanobot5770 asked if this would just be a pure rewrite of my previous story or if I am going to change it up. Well, to be honest, I'm really not sure. I'm thinking of changing it but I quite like how the previous one was going... But then again I don't want to bore my audience... But yet again I don't want to disappoint you guys by changing the storyline, because I do have several ideas.**

**Anyway, that is not going to happen for the next two chapters (I think) so I'll only fuss about it then.**

****Also, thank you Helljumper_1337 for reviewing. 3 Quite dark this chapter. As expected.****

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Stay tuned for the next one!**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. FOUR chapters in FOUR days? =D**

**pps. Also, I just realized that three out of four of my chapters ended with people dying or blacking out. Is that too much or did you not even notice? =P**


	5. Chapter 5 Rabbit on the Moon

**###**

**Chapter 5**

**Want to fly away?  
><strong>

"Jane!"

The name tore from her throat as she sat up with a gasp, eyelids fluttering against the burning sensation of too-dried eyes. It took a while for her vision to clear and for the room to stop swaying. The unmistakable antiseptic scent of medicine struck her sensitive senses and was quick to bring her back into reality. The dramatic change in scenery from the battlefield to a seemingly innocent clinic made her feel very uneasy. Where was she?

All of a sudden her body jerked back in pain, her entire right side on fire. The suddenness of it made it feel worse than it ever did before. She moaned in agony, body trembling as she doubled over, left hand clenching her waist.

And then, just as quickly as it came, the pain disappeared. _I knew I was missing something._ She thought to herself as she panted heavily, wondering what the hell just happened.

"I see you're awake." She shifted her gaze to see a woman about early-thirties with dark brown hair enter the room. The stranger- obviously a doctor from her garb, frowned at her trembling body and placed a gentle hand on her sweat-covered back. "That episode was very… unexpected. How do you feel now?"

Sky swallowed with great difficulty; there was no lingering pain. In fact, her body felt perfectly fine and functional. She couldn't understand it. "I feel better. Much better."

The woman nodded, walking towards the monitor by her bed. "Perhaps that is just a one off episode – the aftermath of the surgery. Let me know if it happens again."

"…Surgery?"

"Your wound was highly infected when we found you." She answered. "If it had been addressed within the first few days of the injury it would have been fine. Unfortunately, by the time you got here even medi-gel was not sufficient enough to heal it. Surgery was required. Don't worry though, it was quick and successful. We even fixed your fractured shoulder at the same time."

"You will find that you have significant… scarring. Those can be removed with cosmetic surgery quite easily should you want to. We don't have that sort of equipment on board, but the Citadel would."

Sky forced her breathing to ease, and then cleared her throat. She hadn't even the time to think about her appearance. Shifting her mind onto more important matters, "Where… Where am I?" _At least she's human. So it is likely that we were rescued. _She studied the older woman carefully, trying to discern her intentions. She had an air of elegance around her: not the arrogant, aristocratic sort, but definitely somewhere along the lines of the 'old-wise-woman'. Actually, upon closer inspection, her features were quite familiar…

"I'm Dr Chakwas and you are currently aboard the SSV Hastings." Then it hit her. She was- or will be, the doctor from the original Normandy ship! _Damn, these past-present-future things are going to confuse me._ Still… she never thought that Chakwas would be a brunette; or perhaps she still had colored hair in ME1, but for the life of her she could not remember. Mass Effect 1 was such a long time ago. "You were actually quite lucky." She continued in a gentle tone, not noticing the little internal battle that was going on in her patient. "I was spared with the details of the fight but both you and your friend here," She gestured to another bed at the other side of the room. "were in quite a bad state when you came to me."

Sky's eyes landed on the cot next to hers and stared at the sprawled figurine with blond hair. Noticing that her uneven breathing and the deep frown on her face, as though disturbed by bad dreams.

The events prior to waking up hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt the need to throw up again as the memories flashed uncontrollably before her eyes: trying to deal with her steadily worsening wound with little medical facilities, fighting for her life, killing other living beings, watching as yellow-green liquid pour out of wherever her bullets struck, but worst of all, Owen's disfigured corpse. She could still see it as clear as day, could still smell the metallic tang of his splattered blood and his burnt flesh. Guilt crashed into her, knowing that Owen took the hit that would have killed her should he had not pushed her out of the way.

Survivor's guilt: _a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives himself or herself to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not._ She listed out the definition in her head, word for word. Thinking about it carefully, she knew there was nothing she could have done to save him. How could she have known, with her little fighting experience, what was going to happen? But that did not rid the bitter taste from her mouth.

_He could have saved himself. Instead, he chose to save you._

It burnt. The sound of Jane's uncontrollable sobbing and agony left a scar more prominent than any physical wound. Knowing that she was the cause of so much pain, knowing that if she hadn't been there, if she had left or just let him kill her beforehand, it would be him, sitting on this medical bed, with Jane. They would have been so much better off without her.

She buried her face in her hands, trying to stem the tears that were threatening to flow. But the guilt, it gnawed at her chest, eating her from inside out and poured liquid fire down her veins. It was a whole new level of agony.

**###**

The doctor remained quiet, watching her small patient silently as the emotions played through her face before she doubled over in pain, a different sort of pain this time, one that she knew no amount of medicine could cure. She had read the reports of what they found: two unconscious girls, over twenty batarians that were brutally ripped apart, and one very unlucky human man. It did not take the ground team long enough to piece together what happened, especially since the blonde haired girl was still letting off biotic impulses, despite having passed out. Looking at the reaction of the teenager before her, it only confirmed her suspicions. She did not know the exact details, and she probably never would, but she had a feeling these two young girls would be scarred by them forever.

Sighing she walked over to the other teenager, the blonde one, and checked the monitors. Her REM scans were showing disturbing results and her heart rate and blood pressure were alleviated- signs of psychological trauma. Not surprising considering the fact that they had just came from a decimated colony that was destroyed by slavers. Both children probably lost all that they ever had, orphaned by the cruelest of circumstances.

The brunette shook her head. Despite being a doctor for so long the barbarism of war never ceased to surprise her. Through her career she had seen all forms of physiological, psychological, biological and chemical wounds. You would think that picking up two teenage girls amongst corpses would be just another day.

Perhaps that was the sad thing; Chakwas sighed again.

It was.

**###**

She stared at her reflection in the full-size mirror before her, flexing and tensing various muscles, trying to get used to this body that felt so much unlike her own. She had the same boring dark brown hair that tumbled down to end just below her shoulders, the same boring dark brown eyes. But to her there was a world of difference. A new faint, but noticeable scar traced along the bridge of her nose, around an inch long. A burn mark around the size of her palm splashed across the back of her neck, halting just below her right ear. But amongst the little bruises, scars and marks that littered her skin the worse of all was what used to be her side wound. A large, ugly mess stretched across her waist; it looked like a tentacled monster had grown out of her side and sunk into her meat, merged with her forever. Streaks of webbed skin spanned from the wound to her stomach and mid-back. It was horrendous looking and she could not help but feel slightly faint at the sight of it.

Sky was never terribly vain, but as a teenage girl, she held a certain amount of pride in her looks. All that was dashed now, crumbled to the ground together with whatever admiration she once had for her fair, spotless skin. She looked away, unsure how to handle this change and took a moment to gather herself together. After all, what was beauty in the face of death?

But it hurt; it hurt to know that she wasn't the same girl she was a week ago. Not just in appearance but in mind. She thought of how her circumstance had pushed her to do things she could not have done before. It used to be hard for her to kill a bug, not to mention another intelligent lifeform, whose cries of death still lingered in her ears. She returned her gaze to the mirror, staring into her own darkening eyes. Who was she now?

She had seen more in the past week than she ever had in her entire life. To experience the death of a comrade, to see the cruelties of the world firsthand; it left a crater in her soul that she did not know how to fill.

She was ultimately, and utterly lost.

Not to mention, _why was she here?_ What brought her to this place? The recent events had cut short all her hopes of returning home. Maybe it was time to accept that this is now her reality…? Could it be possible that she was stuck here forever?

She briefly wondered about home. What was going on back there? Was time at a standstill, like one of those time travaler movies? Or would her parents walk into her room, only to find her missing? What would they think? Knowing them, they would worry so much, struggle for weeks and weeks to find her, only to be disappointed. And then there was her boyfriend, what would be going through his mind? They have only been together for such a short time, two and a half months in fact, perhaps it was something she should be grateful for, perhaps that would make it easier for him to move on and forget about her… She ignored the pang of hurt and jealousy that coursed through her at that thought.

So many questions and no answers to be found, anywhere. She shook her head, clearing away the doubts and troubles. Well, she was here now, and Lord knows how or why but she was here for a reason. She had no choice but to carry on with her life, to the best of her abilities.

On the bright side, she could see that the past week of constant edge-of-death exercises had toned up muscles in areas that she didn't even knew _had_ muscles. She was never a large girl, in fact, it was difficult to even think of a person skinnier than she was, and although that hint of fragility could be still seen in her very lean shape, she no longer looked like she would break into half when a certain amount of pressure was applied. She was proud of that. She ran her fingers across the inked words that labeled her left rib and the calligraphied dove on her right hip. Before, they had looked almost foreign on her unmarred skin, but seemed to match better now that she looked more like a bad-ass and less of a little girl.

At least one good thing came out of this crazy, nonsensical adventure.

And then there was the issue with her eyes. Although virtually every part of her body had stayed more or less the same during the transition from her world and this one, her eyes had somehow miraculously gained perfect 20-20 vision. While fighting for her life it never occurred to her, but now that the calm has taken over it struck her as extremely weird that she could see without her glasses or contact lenses on. Perhaps her contacts fused with her eyes when she got here…? Standing back, she shrugged. _One more thing to add to the growing list of "Things I Don't Understand and Probably Never Will"._

The swish sounds of the metal auto doors opening startled her. She was still on edge, having woken up a little more than four hours ago, and every little sound brought her hand to her hip, only to realize that she no longer had her weapon.

"Woah easy there." The stranger said, her hands coming up in, showing her that she was not armed.

Sky inhaled deeply, before relaxing her posture. "Sorry about that." She muttered.

The other girl, or woman she should say for she looked to be around 25, just shook her head, a look of understanding crossing her face as she placed a black duffel bag to the side of the bathroom. "It's fine. We all get jumpy sometimes after missions too. Hard to separate the battlefield from real life you know?" The sound of her clear, friendly voice relaxed her slightly. "My name is Jazz. Spelt Y-A-Z though. You're one of the girls they picked up from Mindoir aren't you? Tough stuff." She wrinkled her nose in disgust without waiting for a reply. "Those slavers deserve to go to hell."

Sky wasn't sure what to make of her open attitude. After being around the somewhat stoic Shepards, this girl was a breath of fresh air. It was nice to hear someone talk to her without assuming she was either a threat or a liability. "My name is Sky."

The girl brightened up at her introduction, clearly glad that her words did not frighten her. She tucked a strand of vibrant red hair behind her ears sheepishly, "It's nice to meet you Sky. Sorry if I come off a little much, I tend to talk too much."

Sky shook her head, smiling for the first time in a long time at her unreserved character. "It's fine. I'm that way too." _Or at least… I used to be._

The redhead grinned, "I'm glad you understand then. But anyway, I came here to pass you this." She gestured to the bag on the floor. "It has some clothes in it, probably a little big for you though since they are mine." She tilted her head, examining the Asian girl's smaller stature. Sky resisted the urge to flinch, hating the way she was now so damn insecure about her body, but the other girl didn't seem to notice. "Still, they will fit fine." She chirped up. "Oh, and I am supposed to tell you that the Captain wishes to see you on the Med Bay after you're done here."

Sky nodded, "thanks." But as much as she appreciated Yaz's kindness, her buzz of energy was starting to give her a headache. Plus, Captain did she say? She supposed it was normal for a Captain to visit their newest passengers. She wanted to be alone to get her head straight and story right before she met him, or her.

"You're welcomed." Replied the bubbly girl, before she turned to leave. "I'll see you around then!" And with that, the metal doors swished shut.

Sky let out a sigh of relief, before walking carefully to the duffel bag and pulled out the first few things she saw. Yaz was right, her clothing were loose on her, but stayed on all the same. Glancing hopelessly at her reflection one more time she took in her disheveled, messy appearance. _At least I got to take a shower._ An hour-long as well.

Closing her eyes she steeled her resolve. She was going to need to get everything right, from tonal variations to her body language if she was going to fool the Captain and whoever else would be there. Shouldn't be too difficult, seeing as she was already riding on waves of emotions.

The best lies stem from truth after all.

With that, she zipped up the bag and hooked it on her uninjured shoulder, and left the room.

**###**

**More inner reflections and less action this chapter. Still, I hope you enjoyed it all the same.**

**Longest chapter so far. Phew.**

**I have decided on my character pairings (at least for ME1). I am so so so excited to begin. You original Vertigo readers may have noticed I've changed a little bit of the scene slightly, deeming the older on as less realistic. But anyway, the excitement on getting started on the pairings is killing me! Although bear with me, those are only coming in the later chapters.**

**We we we so excited.**

**Again, very happy to hear all your thoughts on this story, whatever they may be. Thank you Rosiegirl52, Nanobot5770, Helljumper 1337 and Liege Lord for reviewing and giving very useful comments. =] And everyone else for reading and subscribing of course.**

**Much love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. Have you noticed I've changed the summary, do you like this one better? And the chapter titles as well? Most of them are song names actually, random ones I've picked up from google, but I feel like they're fitting all the same. This one's from Rabbit in the Moon - Out of Body Experience if you're wondering. Don't actually know what it sounds like but the title seems to fit. In my head at least. **

**pps. OMG ME3 SO VERY SOON. I've watched the demo on youtube. Shyte Ashley Williams looked HOT. I'm quite literally jumping up and down in glee and anticipation.**

**ppps. Oh and also, I don't know if I'll be updating very regularly or quickly in the next two weeks, seeing as mocks are here. But we'll see how that goes alright?**

**Hope to see you again in the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6 Psyche

**###**

**Chapter 6**

**Black Hearts**

"Captain Belliard. Lieutenant." The doctor saluted as the two men entered the room. The Captain smiled and nodded at her, before she relaxed her posture and returned to tapping away at the computer. Saving her data she brought her full attention to her superiors.

"Chakwas, how are our guests doing?"

"One of them woke up a few hours ago, fit enough to head to the bathrooms. I've sent Rowlen out to get her. But as for the other…" Her gaze traveled to the prone figure that occupied one of her medical beds. "It still remains to be seen."

They walked closer to the blonde, observing the girl in her troubled sleep. "A biotic huh…? Without implants as well." Anderson remarked.

Chakwas nodded, walking over to join the pair. "There are significant traces of Eezo within her body and blood. A startling amount actually." Neither men reacted. She frowned, "Sir the reports…"

Anderson sighed, rubbing his temples. "I was leading the ground team that picked them up." He grimaced, "Quite a scene to behold actually. You would think she has had years of training with the way the batarians were torn apart."

"She does show signs of significant psychological trauma." She waved her hand at the monitor showing the blonde's disturbing REM results. "Biotic abilities are sometimes, although very rarely, said to arise during times of great distress."

"It is no real surprise." The Captain added, "The state Mindoir was left in… It would be worrying if she showed no emotional wounds."

A form of silence settled over the pair, each within their own contemplative thought. "There _is_ something else." She mentioned, breaking them out of their reverie. Belliard gestured for her to continue. She walked over to the screen and brought up the other survivor's blood work. The name _Skylar_ flashed together with all sorts of data. "The other girl… There is something strange about her."

"I couldn't figure it out at first, why her biology was so different from the average human being so I decided to run her blood against the older databases. You can see here that these are the different immunities that she has." She pointed out on the screen. But at the blank looks that both soldiers were giving her she knew that they had no clue what she was on about. Sighing, she continued. "Many of these make her immune to diseases that have been eradicated over 100 years ago. Also, she has severe immunodeficiency that indicated she probably never got her immunization boosters when she was younger." The results puzzled her. It was a universe-wide law that every baby had to receive their immunization as soon as they were born, parental consent not required. For the teen to have a lack of those immunities was somewhat understandable, but to not have _any_ at all? That was just strange. How could she have lived up to the age of 17 without them?

The Captain frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I triple-checked. I even ran her DNA across every population database known. There are no known records of her anywhere in Citadel Space."

"So she could be from anywhere outside the Attican Traverse?"

The doctors nodded. "Which brings up the question as to how did she end up on Mindoir… And why?" Anderson thought aloud. Again, she nodded. But before he could further voice his thoughts, the sound of the doors opening ended his questions abruptly. "Speak of the devil."

**###**

"Speak of the devil."

Sky looked up as she entered the medical bay, taking note of the two strangers in the room. Both men held themselves with regal authority, emitting a form of confidence and superiority that she was starting to realize was a trend amongst them 'leadership' types. The one who spoke was much younger than his counterpart; she would estimate to be around 35? He was relatively tall, with dark skin and the standard military crew cut. The other one, who she assumed to be his superior, was much older, with graying hair and circular-framed glasses.

"Uhm… Sirs." She greeted uncertainly, unsure if she was supposed to salute or bow… or something.

"At ease soldier." The deep, soft, yet startlingly clear voice of the older man relaxed her slightly. Despite his low volume, she had a feeling that he was the sort of person that everyone would shut up and listen to whenever he spoke. His voice just commanded that sort of attention.

Sky nodded, placing the duffel bag Yaz gave her by the bed that she had woken up from, before joining their little group that surrounded the still-unconscious Jane Shepard. "Sorry," she muttered nervously, feeling very self-conscious under their scrutinizing gaze. She shot a quick look at the younger girl in bed, noting that there was no change in her condition since she left.

"Sky," the firm, motherly voice of Dr Chakwas drew her attention immediately. "This is Captain Belliard, Commanding Officer of the SSV Hastings." The man offered her a nod. Strangely enough, he reminded her of the old Captain in one of her favourite TV series, Battlestar Galatica. He had that sort of grandather aura about him. "And Lieutenant Anderson."

_Lieutenant?_ Right. The familiar 'Captain' title was not yet attached to his name it seemed. The much younger version of the original Normandy's Captain resembled his character so much in the game that, like Chakwas, it was almost astonishing how she did not notice it before. Wow, first two weeks here and she already met three of the larger characters of the game? It seemed like this whole journey was pack-filled with coincidences that it enjoyed throwing into her face. She struggled to maintain that curious expression, not wanting the reveal the shock and familiarity behind it. Still, it visibly calmed her to know that she was in safe hands if Anderson was on board. She had always liked his character in the game, she didn't think that would change much now that she was actually here.

"It's good to see that you're up and about." Remarked the Captain. She tore her eyes away from the Lieutenant. "How are you feeling?"

His warm voice further soothed her frazzled nerves. Quite a pair these two would make, Belliard and Chakwas. Together they could probably break through any enemy with words alone. "I'm feeling much better… Sir." She added.

Anderson grinned at her. "At least she has manners."

Sky couldn't help but offer a small smile back in return. She was right, less than ten words and she liked him already.

"I know that this is a trying time… But I hope you understand that we need you to answer some questions." The older man said to her kindly. Sky nodded her head.

_It is now or never. _

The group then spent the subsequent half hour asking her questions. It started out easy, she gave them the basic information, her first name, her age, her date of birth (which she calculated to be on January 18th, 2153) and recalled the events on Mindoir. Certain parts were difficult to get through, such as her first kill and Owen's death, but the rest was not much of a problem. Things only started becoming complicated when they asked her about her past and what she remembered before the attack.

"I don't know." Became her regular response. She had decided earlier that the wisest route to take was pretending that she lost all her memory prior to waking up on the colony. No fault, no blame. She didn't have to make up layers of complicated stories if she had amnesia. It happened often enough, a defense mechanism in the face of a traumatic incident, where victims repress their memories in attempt to move pass it. She could only hope that the three adults before her would buy it.

"You don't remember _anything _about your childhood at all?" Anderson pressed.

The teenager shook her head, realistic tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. _Thank God for drama lessons._ "I-"

A moan coming from the bed beside them cut her sentence short. The doctor immediately left their side to check up on Jane, Sky following closely behind. "She's waking up."

"Jane…?" Chakwas called softly, "Can you hear me?"

The blonde let out another moan, louder and more pain-filled. Sky reached out to touch her hand, but as soon as her fingers came into contact with her flushed skin-

With a gasp Sky crumbled to the ground, clenching her side as pain tore her up from inside. She vaguely heard several things hitting the floor and shouts of different voices, but all she could concentrate on at that moment was the torment that centralized around her waist.

It was as though her meat and skin were being stripped apart into tiny pieces, and exploding within her. She could hear her own screams but could do nothing to stem it. After what felt like a million years the pain abruptly disappeared, leaving her trembling and sweat covered on the floor.

Strong, defined arms tucked themselves around her and lifted her up with ease, before setting her down onto a soft comfortable surface that she slowly registered to be a bed. After a couple of deep breaths, the world slid back into focus.

"What just happened?" A calm voice asked. Sky looked up and was surprised that it was Captain Belliard who carried her. Perhaps the man aged better than most.

The female doctor shook her head, clearly equally as confused. "I have no idea." She walked over and lifted Sky's shirt up delicately, revealing the throbbing wound underneath. Sky followed her gaze, expecting to see blood dripping down her side, only to see realize her wound looked exactly as it did a few hours before. Bumpy, pale and hellova ugly, but bore no signs of an open wound. Chakwas frowned. "It seems like the scar is having some form of... delayed reaction." She brushed a gentle finger across it, causing Sky to shiver at the sensation. But it didn't hurt. It was just like before, seconds after she woke; her body felt perfectly fine and functional once again, as though the torture never happened.

_Great._ So not only was she scarred by that ugly wound, now it is going to keep hurting her forever?

"Where am I? What's going on?"

Sky's head whipped towards the direction of the voice. "Jane." She sighed in relief. The girl was wide-eyed and looked a little out of it, but otherwise awake.

"Sky? You're alive." Jane stated almost wistfully.

Ignoring the protests of her tired muscles she got out of her bed and walked carefully towards the other girl, not wanting a repeat of what just happened. She wasn't really sure, but it seemed like her wound went insane after she had touched her. "Yes… Yes I am."

The other girl didn't say anything in response, just started at her with those intense purple eyes. It felt like she could see all the way into her soul. There were so many things that she wanted to say to her. She wanted to tell her she was sorry about Owen, and that if she could switch positions with him she would. She wanted to thank her for being the reason that she was still alive. But most of all she wanted to ask if she were okay. But instead of all that she kept silent, uncomfortable at the way her eyes bared no emotions. After a moment, the blonde turned away, ignoring her completely.

Sky's chest throbbed painfully.

"Where am I?" She asked again, her voice the perfect cadence of calm.

"You're on the SSV Hastings, an Alliance frigate. My name is Captain Beillard, and this is Lieutenant Anderson and Doctor Chakwas."

"How long have I been on board?"

"A little more than three days."

"And what just happened?" Jane gestured around the room at the fallen objects that Sky failed to notice before. Most of the equipment near them had been blasted off their original positions.

"You did." The way both Captain and Jane were addressing each other it was as though they were just having a casual conversation over tea. It was quite disconcerting. "It seems like you have managed to develop some biotic abilities recently. Have you showed any inclination of such before?"

Jane nodded, still blatantly ignoring the other teenager in the room. Sky felt sick. "I've been exposed to Element Zero twice in my lifetime. Once as a fetus and the second, last year."

The two men continued to talk with Jane, questioning her the same way they did with her only minutes before. But there was no change in her voice: cold, with an icy edge that seemed to freeze her from inside out. Sky shuddered, unsure how to handle the situation.

After what seemed like an eternity, the constant back and forth between the Captain, Lieutenant and Jane stopped. The two men said their goodbyes and left the medical bay, requesting that Chakwas went with them to further discuss the situation.

"I'll be back with food and to do a biopsy on your scar. Try not to damage anymore of the equipment." The doctor said, before following after the pair, leaving a highly awkward silence between the two teenagers.

Sky cleared her throat, trying to rid the atmosphere of the unbearable silence. She almost regretted it when Jane's icy purple eyes cut through her, glaring at her with all the anger she didn't knew it was possible for a body to possess.

"So… Are you glad you're alive?"

**###**

**And Jane wakes! But who is going to be? Renegade? Paragon? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Author note:**

**This was a surprisingly hard chapter to write for some reason. I hope it didn't show in terms of my writing abilities. I think I'm sort of struggling with large group conversations. I don't want to confuse the audience yet it's so hard to describe who is saying what and in what way. Glad that is over with.**

**Character development in the next chapter! =]**

**Thank you Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, Nanobot5770 and anonJack for reviewing. Looking forward to hearing your opinions on this chapter.**

**Will see you then.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**


	7. Chapter 7 Loving Lying Enemy

**###**

**Chapter 7**

**Don't Know Much About Heaven**

She wanted to… wanted to do _something_ to the girl standing before her. Jane stared the smaller girl down with barely contained fury, so many thoughts and feelings clashing within her at once.

"Are you glad you're alive?" She snarled.

The unfairness of the situation, the hatred she had for whatever higher powers she used to believe in; everything raged inside her heart. There was no one left, no one that she knew or loved or cared for, she was quite literally, all alone in this entire Universe…

Except for _her_.

Her fists were clenched so tightly that her fingernails drew blood from her palms, but she barely even noticed it. If it weren't for _her_ Owen would be alive. If it weren't for _her_ Owen wouldn't be…

She shook the image of his mangled body out of her head, replacing grief with anger. Anger was something she could utilize, something she could act upon and control. Grief… grief was another matter all together.

"I-" The dark-haired girl began, but her trembling voice stopped her short. Sky chewed at her bottom lip, eyes to the ground as she tried to come up with something to say.

It shouldn't have provoked her but the other girl's demure, 'damsel in distress' attitude fueled her temper even more. She wanted to reach out and punch the helplessness out of the stupid girl. It was her damn inabilities that got Owen killed.

_But that's not really true is it? No one saw the heavies coming. _Jane stamped down her own conscience. Of course it is true. Owen could have saved himself, instead he chose to save her! Now because of that… Because of that she was going to have to go through life by herself.

"God Jane-"

"Don't call me that." She growled, ignoring the internal argument she was having with herself. "You have no right."

The girl took a small step back, surprise and hurt flashing across her eyes. Then she shook her head, trying to rid herself of what looked like _tears_ from her eyes, and tried again. "Alright then, Shepard. I am-" her breath hitched. Jane closed her eyes, knowing what was coming next. _Please don't start. Please don't say it. _"I am so sorry. God, if I could turn back time, if I could take his place instead I would." She felt a pinch in her heart that she was quick to crush down. _Shut up. Shut up this is your fault and you know it. Stop trying to make me feel like I'm the bad guy._

_But didn't Owen choose to save her?_ A small, quiet voice quipped up within her._ Wouldn't all this be Owen's fault then? _

"Stop!" The blonde half-shouted, startling the words right out of Sky's mouth. "Just- just stop. He- Owen had enough time- He had enough time to save himself." _So why didn't he? _"It's your fault- your damn-"

Sky. What did she know about this girl anyway? That the seventeen-year-old didn't remember a single thing aside from waking up in Mindoir? She might as well stick a giant 'I AM A BIG ASS LIAR' sticker across her forehead while she was at it. Now that she was in this very place she was beginning to wonder why on earth she insisted that they brought her along.

_If I didn't, Owen would still be alive dammit. _It didn't matter that it felt wrong to blame Sky for her cousin's death. She just-

"Please Ja- Shepard. I need you to believe me that I would have let myself die if I knew it would have saved him." _Go away. Just keep quiet. Please. _"I didn't know-" The older teen let out a sob that she had been struggling to control. "I really didn't. I would have- I would have tried to stop him." _Just leave me alone. _Jane hastily tried to keep grasp of the anger that was slowly dissipating. But she couldn't bring herself to stop Sky from talking, she couldn't bring herself to ignore what she was saying.

_Because you know it is true._ Of course it was true. There were many things Jane learnt about the new girl during the course of the few days they were together. Being from a farming family both Shepards were used to hard work and pushing their bodies beyond its capabilities. Blood, gore, guns, injuries, were almost second nature to them due to their hunting and butchering of meat to sell. But it was so blatantly obvious that Sky was not: with the way she blanched when she first saw a batarian shot to death, the way she struggled with most of the basic physical exercises and how she did not even know how to hold a handgun, Jane was surprised that she did not make a peep, not a single sound in protest as would have most of her classmates. In fact, she was impressed with the way the Asian held herself together, through the pain of her large wound and through the horrors of battle. Despite having slowed them down slightly, Sky was never a real burden in fights; she provided meaningless yet interesting and comforting conversations that pulled them through the sleepless nights as well as offered some useful insight on the behavior of those on the other side. She was undoubtedly intelligent, sometimes seeing loopholes in the batarian's plans that they themselves missed out. She was also empathetic and kind, always insisting that they healed themselves first before they helped her.

_NO! It was her. She's the cause of it all. She's the reason- _"Elizabeth- Mom, dad, Aunt Jane-" She choked out. _All dead, shot down, torn apart-_ "Your fault, it was all-"

But it wasn't and no matter how she denied it, that was the truth. A wave of emotion crashed down over her. With her anger gone, grief flooded in to fill its place. With a choke she wrapped her own arms around herself and curled into a ball, silent tears streaming down her face.

**###**

Her anger felt like it was burning right through her, cutting straight into her soul and drilling into her heart. There was so much hate in her eyes: hate and fury and rage that caused those breathtaking purple eyes to cackle with emotion. She had never been the subject of such anger before, never been at the receiving end of so much negativity. A sob threatened to burst from her throat that she was quick to stamp down. Why the hell was she so selfish? How could she be the one wanting to break down when she was the very reason the girl before her was suffering?

"Please Ja-" She stopped when a knife sliced through her heart. She was right, she didn't deserve to call her by her first name. "Shepard. I need you to believe me that I would have let myself die if I knew it would have saved him. I didn't know-" A pitiful sound erupted from her and she pressed her palm over her mouth, forcing the tears back down. _Stop being so bloody weak!_ "I really didn't. I would have- I would have tried to stop him."

She had to stop there, knowing that if she said anymore she would not be able to control the emotions that threatened to overcome her. The guilt was intense, more painful than any heartbreak she had ever been through. _That is because this isn't just some break up with a boy. A man, a cousin, a best friend __died__ to save you._ She shoved her knuckle into her mouth and bit down, hard enough to taste iron, trying to prevent herself from making a sound. This was Jane- Shepard's time. Not her own.

"Elizabeth-" _Who?_ "Mom, dad, Aunt Jane-" She gasped out. "Your fault, it was all-"

_Oh._ Those must have been the people she lost as well as Owen. She looked down to the ground, momentarily forgetting about the other horrors of war. She had not mentioned any of those people to her when they were on Mindoir, choosing to focus more on surviving. She briefly wondered what happened to them, only to decide that it didn't really matter. It didn't matter _how_ you lost someone, just that you've lost them. She was pretty sure it wasn't pleasant anyway.

Those names made her realize that Shepard wasn't really angry at her per say. She was projecting her pain into rage and Sky was the best target for it. She could hardly blame her, although Owen did not die _because_ of her, he did die _in place_ of her.

She watched the battle across the blonde's flickering eyes. Steeling her nerves, she prepared herself for the onslaught of words before she saw her wrap her arms around herself.

And sobbed.

Sky's fear disappeared almost immediately. The mothering instinct inside of her sprang up as she watched on. She so very much wanted to comfort the crying girl, but what could she say? What could she do?

After a minute she couldn't stand it anymore, instead she climbed into the younger girl's bed and collected her into her arms. She was briefly surprised when Shepard allowed her to do so, turning so that her head was tucked in between her chin and her chest, quietly crying for her lost- everything.

It was somewhat of an awkward position because Shepard was easily three inches taller than her. Sky had to scoot upwards, half learning on the headboard so that the other girl's feet was not dangling off the bed. She was at lost of what to do, not really having much experience in consoling someone who had just lost everything they ever had to death. Not really knowing what else she could say Sky just talked, in a low, soothing tone that her own mother often used on her.

"I lied when I said I don't remember anything. Because I do. Little flashes of memories that I don't have enough of to piece together. I remember I had four dogs- their names were Lucky, Mikey, Bruno and Max. I know we're not supposed to have favourites but Max was always my baby. An Austrailian Silky Terrier, cutest most energetic thing in the world. He would run across the marble floors and crash into walls because he couldn't find enough grip to stop. The other three normally followed suit. What sillies I tell you." She continued to mutter meaningless information about her life, sticking as close to as many funny moments as possible.

She told her about how her brothers used to play catch with her, where they would throw her small body to each other to catch, while she shrieked her butt off.

She told her about being locked out of the house as punishment when she was younger, because her parents were sick of her taking three hours to finish her dinner each night.

She told her about her love for dance and how it was her escape from reality when she needed to, which was quite often.

She told her about how her best friend and herself were so close that they sometimes wondered if they were in love with each other, only to laugh when they both remembered that they were 100% heterosexual.

One by one, the memories of her past slowly came back to her. She didn't allow herself to think about home or family for the past week, knowing it would only add to her depression. Now she couldn't help seeing everything as clear as day. She missed the times where Simba, her cat, would incessantly pester her for attention whenever he was bored. She missed going jogging with her brother and his best friend, just talking about anything to keep their minds off their burning calves. She even missed going to Chemistry and being barked at by her teacher for not remembering everything he taught them last lesson. She chuckled softly at that thought, wondering how he was doing now...

She became so caught up in her memories she didn't even notice that the one she was consoling had settled down and was staring up at her with clearer eyes until she asked softly "What happened…? Where are they?"

Sky stopped short, staring down at the girl she held in her arms. "I… don't know." She answered honestly and helplessly. "But I hope that they're safe, wherever they are, and that I can find them again one day."

There was a moment of silence as understanding dawned upon Shepard's face. She sighed, leaning her head back down onto Sky's chest. "We're quite a pair aren't we?"

Perhaps they were. Two teenage girls, all alone in this gigantic universe that extended beyond her wildest dreams. The irony of her situation wasn't lost on her. She had always wanted to visit space. Astronomy was her favourite part of Physics and the planets never ceased to amaze her. She supposed the only real difference was that Shepard belonged in this world. Hell, she was going to save all of their sorry asses one day. So where did _she_ fit in amongst all this? What part of the puzzle was she?

"Two of a kind."

**###**

**I don't know if Jane's reaction came off as realistic. I was trying my best to visualize it in my brain, trying to picture how someone who is suffering from such grief would react. I wouldn't know. I never lost someone to death before. I hope I'm not insulting those that have with this. If you have any suggestions as to what could make this chapter more realistic or believable, let me know? I'm eager to hear your feedback.**

**Aside from that, Psychology test today. I couldn't finish it. Sigh. Ran out of time. Quite depressing. My psych teacher is going to have my head now. Statistics tomorrow, and then Chemistry after that.**

**Yay me.**

**Anyway, back to studying!**

**Oh and thank you Nanobot5770, Helljumper 1337 and Liege Lord for reviewing. You guys are becoming like my regulars now. Just know that I really do think about everything you say. And greed11 for the helpful words.**

**Nanobot5770: When I find the time I will go back and edit that chapter. You're right, it was a little hasty.**

**greed11: Got it. I know what you mean. But my Femshep had blond hair and purple eyes. =P So I used her for this one. The story does sort of centralize around Jane for now, especially since she just lost everything that ever meant anything to her. But after this it would return back to Sky. =]**

**That is all for now!**

**Much love and gratitude,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. I just finished SageQueen's Valhalla. Excellent, excellent fic and I recommend it to anyone who has the time. It's a Shenko fic, I really like her writing style. I actually got some inspiration from her story. Gave me alot to think about.**

**pps. Caaaaan you believe it? Slightly over 20,000 words in 7 chapters in _nine_ days! I guess this IS a rewrite. But still! **

***party noises***


	8. Chapter 8 Heart In Disguise

**###**

**Chapter 8**

**We'll make it through the day.**

_Year 2176_

"I'm so sorry. Shit. I don't know what came over me. That- It was a mistake."

Sky looked on calmly at the man before her. He was incredibly handsome, she had to give him that. It was his gorgeous large pearl-grey eyes that first stole her breath away, staring at her across the little coffee shop. She had, at that time, wondered what on earth about her caught the attention of such eyes. They were so beautiful, like her favourite part of a storm, a storm that now brewed with guilt and remorse. Her eyes slid to his perfectly smooth lips that were set in a grimace as he stumbled over his words.

She briefly remembered what it felt like to have those tantalizing lips on her skin.

She sighed, shaking her head. Of all little, trivial things that could happen, between the reapers and the end of the galaxy, _this_ was the best the Universe could do?

She shot the man before her a smile and said, "Don't worry about it."

"You have to bel- Wait what?"

He looked so confused that she had to stop herself from laughing. "Maybe we can even still be friends?" she suggested nonchalantly.

He stared at her, going slightly cross-eyed. After all, one did not say that to another individual that one had just caught having sex on one's couch, especially with someone else, even more so since that said individual was dating _her_.

"Really?" Disbelief and hope clear in his voice.

"Nope." She shook her head, the perfect winning smile sliding off her lips as they formed a snarl. "Now get the fuck out of my apartment."

**###**

The dark-haired woman sighed as she shut the door behind her, truly exhausted from the day's events. Be it Year 2012 or 2176, Earth or the Citadel, men were still scum. She closed her eyes, pressing her palms onto her lids hard enough that a shower of white-green spots burst into her vision.

_Nope. Headache still here._

Oh how she hated dealing with whiney, pesky, apologetic men. Actually, he didn't deserve to be called a man, he was a boy: a little egoistical boy who thought he knew it all.

Fucking idiot.

God, how much she _hated_ cheaters. It was a personal vendetta that she had cultivated for years now, after being screwed over time and time again. Sometimes she wondered if there was something wrong with her, if she just attracted assholes, or if she was blind to assholes. It was either that or the human race as a whole was messed up.

_Next time, I'm going to date an Asari. Or a Turian._

Surprisingly enough, it still hurt. This was the closest she ever got to actually attempting to _date_ someone in this world. She wasn't really sure how to categorize her feelings, whether to be hurt, or angry, or just... fed up.

_Sean wouldn't have done something like that to you. _Sky sighed. No he wouldn't have, but she had given up on her sweetheart ages ago.

_She sat on the balcony of her new home, soaking in the hustle and bustle that was the Citadel. She wasn't really sure what to make of such futuristic scenery. She was never really a city girl; she wasn't the type to run around shopping or go to the movies or clubs. She had always preferred a good book, away from society, with her music on. That was her typical weekend._

_And now… She took a deep breath of filtered air and sighed, leaning her head against the cool glass plating that prevented her from falling off the edge. Now she was in some strange world where she had no control over what could happen. She barely even knew anything about this place. What little she could remember from the game, she knew she would eventually forget. So what happens then?_

_Approaching footsteps drew her out of her reverie as she looked up at her new 'adopted sister'. _

"_Not contemplating suicide now are we?" She asked as she crossed her legs, imitating Sky's body position._

_She let out a light laugh. It actually wasn't all that funny. Especially not amongst them. But if they didn't make a joke out of everything, the pain would probably kill them from inside._

"_Nope. Just woolgathering."_

_The blonde shot her a strange look at her terminology, but understood her all the same. Perhaps it was their stroke of luck to have been adopted by the same family. They weren't real 'adoptees', they were old enough to take care of themselves, but it was Citadel law that no persons under the age of 18 were allowed to live by themselves, so they had to make do. Their foster parents had no biological children and were deep sympathizers of orphaned children. Knowing that they only had to 'take care' of Sky for a year and Jane for two, they were quite happy to be put up with the task. The government even paid for whatever they needed. It was a good deal._

"_Thinking about __them__?"_

_She knew that she was referring to her old life. The word 'family' and 'friends' were almost taboo around Jane. No surprises there considering…_

"_Yeah." She stared down at the city lights, but her eyes were unfocused, seeing, but not really looking. "I think… I think I have to let them go." The younger teen remained silent, understanding what she was implying. "I might be able to find them someday, go back to where I came from… But I can't live life wishing and praying every day that I would find myself home again. Wherever home is." Unwanted tears leaked slowly into her eyes, causing her eyes to glimmer. She had to accept that she was here, and here probably for a very long time._

"_I'll do it with you." Jane said softly after a length of silence, interlacing her fingers gently with Sky's._

_She nodded, turning so that she faced the other girl and held her hands tightly. "Are you sure about this…?"_

_The blonde let out a short laugh that sounded completely insincere. "No." Looking up, Sky realized that her purple eyes were brimming with tears as well. "But we have to move on right? Life- life isn't fair, but if we keep dwelling on the past, we'll never learn to live." She shook her head, "But anyway, let's do this before I change my mind." Then she paused, "What exactly are we doing again?"_

_Sky bit her lip, unsure herself. "Well… Maybe we could sum up all we could remember about the people we los- love, and say our goodbyes." She suggested. "I don't know how much it would help but… at least it's something?"_

"_Alright then. You start."_

_She closed her eyes. "Okay… To, my mother." She hesitated, wondering if she sounded foolish, but then realizing that it didn't really matter if she did. "I will always remember the lessons you taught me, from house chores to survival skills. I will never forget your voice, your love and your kindness, but most of all I promise to always be inspired by your strength and dedication to the things you believe in. I hope that I may see you again someday in the future, but for now, Goodbye. I love you."_

_A silence enveloped the pair that made Sky squirm slightly. Then Jane continued smoothly. "To my mother as well. Thank you for bringing me up the best way you knew how, even though I know it must not have been easy. Thank you for giving me strength and believing in me when no one else did. Thank you for your love and support. I hope that when I meet you again, after my own time has passed, that you will be proud of whom I have become. I love you."_

_Sky squeezed her friend's hands in comfort, "To my brothers, God how much I miss you two. I just wish that you would be here with me. If only you could see the things that I have seen and experience the things that I have experienced. You would not believe it. I can barely believe it myself. But I just want to say, thank you for being the best brothers in this entire Universe. Thank you for being such amazing role models, and at the same time, the best confidants. I miss you two, so incredibly much, but I have to let you guys go for now. I promise I will see you two some day. I love you."_

"_Dearest Owen, you were the brother I never had. You were my shoulder to cry on, my punching bag, and my teacher. How I wish you were here to support me further, and to help me through the upcoming years that I know will be so difficult. But I suppose it is time I learnt to stand on my own two feet, that it is time that I take my own place in this world. Thank you for teaching me how to be stronger, and better than I was. Rest in peace. I love you."_

_They continued on that way for a while, each saying a snippet for the people that they had lost. She mentioned her two best friends and Jane, her aunt's family and her father. Eventually Sky got to "Sean." She sighed. She knew that if she somehow managed to find a way home, her family would still be there, but Sean? Sean would have moved on. "I miss you sweetheart. Lord knows that I have so little faith in men as it is but you… You are something else. Despite the fact that you're only 17, you are the most honorable and honest person I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Despite the fact that we've only been seeing each other for the past two months… Those have been the best two months of my life. I hope you will forgive me for leaving so abruptly. I hope that you will keep the values you have now, find a girl who will give you the world, and be happy. I love you baby, Goodbye."_

_A comfortable silence fell over the two girls. The words that they had spoken did nothing to fill the empty void that seemed to have taken over her soul, but she did feel strangely better, as though she had found the closure she was looking for._

_Slowly, she opened her eyes, feeling slightly disorientated for having squeezed her eyes shut for so long. Touching her face she was surprised to find that her skin was wet from tears. Looking up, she caught Jane staring at her._

_She had seen so much emotion behind those glassy eyes over the past few days: rage, frustration, agony, longing… But for the first time since she got to know her she could see… a calm, a sort of peace._

_That was when she knew; they were going to be okay._

A high-pitched ringing slowly drew her out of her memories. Sighing, she reached over the intercom button- "Yes?"

"Hey. Are you going to be joining us tonight or…?" A hopeful female voice echoed over the speakers.

Sky paused, a million and one excuses ready to be used at the tip of her tongue, and then figured, why the hell not? It wasn't like she was going to do much moping around the apartment anyway. "Yeah sure."

"Alright!" cheered the other girl. "Okay, so why not you let me in and we can get started."

"Started…? With?" she asked as she opened the door and a hopelessly excited redhead came into view carrying two large bags of who-knows-what.

Speaking of other things that have not changed over six years, the woman that stood before her was one of them. At age twenty-nine, Yaz Rowlen, the girl that first helped her out when she was picked up from Mindoir, was still the exuberant, playful and cheerful girl that she was when she first met her. They had become fast friends during her short stay on the Hastings and often searched her up to 'hang' when she was on leave. It wasn't difficult to become close to the excitable girl, not with her open, friendly nature. But her energy did take some getting used to.

"Yeapp! Didn't you know? There will be a bunch of marines going tonight. Kieth managed to convince them to come along. And marines, are _hot!_"

She blinked at the endlessly chattering girl. Sighing she slowly walked towards her bedroom, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. "Yes… Therefore…?" Sky was, after all, just a call or mail away. Why did she bothered coming all the way down here?

"Because sweetie, you're gorgeous." She put her hand up to cut off Sky's protests. "But with what you wear…" she wrinkled her nose slightly as she looked down to Sky's uniform. Sky followed her gaze, an outfit that she had to admit, did not really flatter her. But hey, it was comfortable and it gave her the freedom to move when required, so she wasn't complaining. "No offense, but sometimes people will wonder if you have breasts."

"But I don't." _Stupid genetics._

There was a twinkle in the redhead's eyes that Sky could only describe as _evil_. She gulped and took a step back, suddenly afraid as to where the woman was going with this. "And that's what I'm here for."

"… To give me breasts…?" Okay, now she was definitely confused.

Yaz barked out a laugh, grabbed the dark-haired girl's wrist and shoved her into the shower. "Just leave it to me bucko." She winked as she left her. "Just go get clean. I'll handle the rest."

Like a leaf swept up in a hurricane. She just shook her head and did as she was commanded. Today of all days she didn't really want to be alone, so she supposed she _was_ grateful that Yaz had showed up.

Plus… Marines huh? What better way to get over a slightly bruised heart than to party?

It was a better idea than staying home and trying to come up with 101 ways to destroy her couch anyway.

**###**

**Another chapter done.**

**To be honest I'm not very sure if I am satisfied with this chapter. I rewrote this particular chapter 3 times with three different scenarios.**

**But I got angry at my boyfriend yesterday so that gave me inspiration to write this. It isn't a chapter that explains much, just showed how Jane and the OC coped with losing the people that loved. Perhaps 6 years is a little large of a time skip, but I do intend to hurry this story up a little. Don't worry though, I will be going back and forth to explain what happened along the six years in sort of 'flashback' formats. So you won't miss anything important.**

**Let me know what you think? I might change this chapter completely depending on popular demand. I have two other reserved chapters already anyway. But I thought this one was the most... suited. A little more light hearted than the last one.**

**I'm at the doctors now, so I might have to proof-read this after my appointment. I think I'm going to place up another chapter either later today or tomorrow, depending on my mood. I feel the need to write for some reason.**

**Thank you Legion001, Helljumper 1337, greed11, Liege Lord, BAMS, S058, Rosiegirl52 and Nanobot5770. The most reviews I've ever gotten for a chapter. =D I'm glad Jane's reaction was realistic enough for you to appreciate. It made me quite sad for a while. Reminded me how blessed I am to have the people that love me.**

**Don't worry, Shepard will never be 100% Paragon, I don't really know about the OC, especially since she is based off me. So we'll see. We're all human right? None of us are perfect. Also, a thought occurred to me. If you would like to know what Sky's tattoos look like (well, my tattoos) I have photos of them. Or if you're curious and want a visual representation of the character let me know. I could also get photos of Jane because she is also based off my own Skylar Shepard in ME2. I also do know that a lot of you rather come up with your own picture of the characters so... Your requests are my command.**

**Liege Lord - I don't think _anyone _is purely 100% heterosexual. Sky has _got _to be slightly bicurious so who knows...? ;] (she is based off me after all. Teehee)**

**greed11 - You are pretty amazing you know that? Your words make so much sense. I agree with you completely. Thank you for noticing and reading this little story of mine. I will definitely keep what you said in mind.**

**And of course, thank you for reading, subscribing, reviewing!**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. Cheating are for the heartless and the unkind. Don't do it.**


	9. Chapter 9 Labyrinth of Ideals

_I think there was something wrong with this site yesterday. Just note that this is the second chapter I'm updating in two days, so if you missed out on the previous one, go read it first._

_(The stats told me that the previous chapter only had 4 hits, it didn't really make sense unless I'm seriously overestimating the number of people that read this fic.)_

**###**

**Chapter 9**

**Fire Spell**

Sky glanced helplessly at the mirror before her, wondering whether it was too late to back out now.

Upon exiting the shower, she was quick to be ambushed by her red-haired friend that quite literally primped, probed and painted onto her in such a way that she could scarcely recognize herself. She was dressed in one of the many outfits that Yaz brought over (she had a feeling that what were in those mysterious bags were not good things, and she was right!): A loose fitting black dress and a pair of five-inched heels. The dress hung off her right shoulder in a toga fashion, leaving her entire left arm bare while decorating her right with some criss-cross patterns. It was quite simple and rather beautiful. Her only problem with it was that it tightened around her thighs and came to an uncomfortable stop _right_ below her butt, just enough to give her room to walk without flashing everyone in sight. She sighed, shifting her gaze to the other occupant in the room. "Are you sure about this? What if they mistake me for a stripper?"

"Of course they won't!" The beaming girl was dressed in a more conservative fashion. Latex pants, and a low-cut blood-red blouse that complimented her hair color superbly. She was in a pair of sky-high heels as well, but the difference was, Sky hadn't had any practice in heels for over six years.

She looked back at her reflection, still unsure. "But look at this!" she tugged at her dress, trying to cover more skin. "I'm going to be giving everyone a show every time I sit down. Not to mention," she tottered backwards. "I'm never going to be able to learn how to walk right in these."

Yaz rolled her eyes. "Oh hush, and quit complaining. Firstly, you look amazing. Secondly, that is what the lace underwear is for. Frankly, I was worried. I wasn't even sure if you shave."

Sky glowered at her. "Don't be crude. I _wax_." But still, she had to suppose Yaz was right. She did do a good job on her. Her makeup was left simple, flawless skin with dark rimmed eyes and pale lips. She had forgotten what she looked like with makeup on, or the excitement of dressing up and going out with friends. Perhaps she had been taking her time here way too seriously. Maybe it was time to just relax and have a little fun.

She recalled the memories of taking hours to dress up before heading out for a girl's night out, stumbling home after having a little too much to drink. It didn't happen very often, but she always had fun. Dancing was after all, something she loved with all her soul.

_Lord Almighty, when was the last time I __danced__? _She asked herself, slightly shocked at the thought. Since she had got here she had been so focused on improving her physical fitness, her understanding of alien psychology, learning more about this Universe, getting a job and doing well in it that she had not actually taken time off to just… enjoy herself. _Good timing too,_ as her mind drifted to the unpleasant events of the day.

"Well what are you waiting for? We're already late." The redhead ushered her out of her own apartment. "If all the hotties are taken I'm blaming you."

Sky shook her head and smiled, before locking up her home. "Hate to break it to you, but we're not going to get there anytime soon. It's your fault for putting me in these."

**###**

Sky sat at the table, sipping away at a shockingly pink cocktail as she surveyed the crowd around her, bobbing her head slightly to the beat. Now that she was here she found that she actually missed coming out and just enjoying the atmosphere of the more or less, joyous people around her.

The music was loud, and the bass caused the floor to vibrate gently under her feet. She loved how she could feel it beating in tuned with her heart. She looked at the dance floor longingly. It was currently occupied with many slightly-more-than-acceptably-drunk couples that were doing slightly-more-than-acceptable things. But she didn't really mind. It was all part and parcel of the club 'feel'. Still, she averted her eyes all the same, bringing her attention back to the other occupants at the table.

There were a lot of them out here tonight. She had met three of the others here before, all via Yaz: Renee, a tall, gorgeous, Eurasian model that would have struck envy in her had she had a vainer soul; Thessa, a very cute, very bubbly and sweet twenty-year-old that was working as a techie; and Kieth, Yaz's marine 'friend'. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on between Kieth and Yaz, but there was definitely _something_ there. Especially with the way each was staring longingly at each other the entire night when they thought no one was looking. She smiled to herself, you would think that with Yaz being so open and friendly she would be the first to admit her feelings for this guy, but she supposed things always got complicated when it comes to the heart.

"Hey doll-face, you want to dance?" She brought her eyes the owner of the voice. She had hoped to remain under the radar from Kieth's friends by sitting slightly away from the rest of the group and it seemed to have worked, until now. He was rather good-looking, in a rugged, I'm-a-player kind of way. Will, if she remembered his name correctly. Sky sighed. She had saw him trying to get cozy with Renee at the beginning of the night. Clearly, he had failed with his first objective and is now onto his second, _or third, or fourth, seventh for all I know._

She smiled sweetly at him, placing her drink down on the coaster. "Thank you for the offer. But I'm rather comfortable here." _I hate being second choice._

"Really? All lonely like that? I'm sure I can make this night worth your while." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She leaned away from his foul, alcohol reeking breath.

Sky bristled slightly; it was hard for her to find two things that she hated more than players and egoistical maniacs. And this marine was obviously both. She reached over to detach his arm from her, using quite a bit of force since he was reluctant to let go. She cheered inwardly when he looked a little shock at her display of strength. "I'm really good, thank you very much."

He stared at his own arm stupidly, as though confused as to what it was doing back to his side. After a moment he shook his head, and continued "but sweetie-"

**###**

He wasn't even sure what he was doing here. The music was uncomfortably loud, the smoke made it difficult for him to breathe and the lack of room for movement didn't help with anything. He groaned softly to himself, feeling a headache building.

"Amp giving you problems?"

He shifted his gaze to the soldier that just joined him, Will Vester. Will wasn't a person that he necessarily disliked, even though they disagreed with almost everything outside of the battlefield. They were in the same unit, and he trusted him to have his back, so he supposed that was all that really mattered.

"Nah, the music."

"Gad, you're such a downer. I know that losing Tom was hard," His eyes widened in disbelief, did he just said what he just said? Looking closely at his teammate now he could tell from his flushed face that he had been drinking, a lot. "But you gotta move on yknow? Live life to the fullest and-" he hiccupped. "All that."

The dark-haired man closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm the emotions inside of him. Being a biotic, he had to have the ability to flatten out any outrage in seconds. It would be incredibly dangerous on the field, for his team and his enemies, if he lost even an inch of his composure. "Then why not you go and enjoy yourself then?" He said, voice low and dangerous. He wanted him gone. Will was an ass, always had been and probably always will, but to talk about the death of their friend in such a flippant matter… Well, he didn't want to be responsible for another death in his team.

The tipsy man nodded, obviously not sensing the warning bells. "Precisely what I intend to do. See that fine piece over there, all by her lonesome self?" The reluctant marine sighed, but looked anyway. "I'm going to tap that tonight."

The female Will had pointed out was sitting at the edge of the table closest to the dance floor. She was rather attractive, in a self-assertive, confident sort of way, with long black hair and expressive brown eyes. She looked rather small, not short per say, but definitely very slim and had legs that looked like they went on forever. As he struggled to remember her name he wondered why he hadn't noticed her until now, then he realized that unlike her friends, she had not jumped in at the chance to 'get with a soldier' but instead had probably been sitting there, quietly, the entire time. Strangely enough, she didn't look uncomfortable, or terribly lonely. In fact, she looked rather content to just observe and watch, with the most absurd-looking cocktail in hand.

"Right." He responded wearily. "Are you sure she will reciprocate your attentions?" But the man he had been talking to was already striding confidently, albeit drunkenly, towards the poor girl. He sighed. Great, he should just leave. The rest of his team seemed to have forgotten he was here and were having a good time, he had paid his dues by coming here, so what else was holding him back?

Still, he brought his attention back to Will, he had better make sure he didn't end up with a sexual harassment charge, it won't be good for the team's reputation if he did.

**###**

He sat down next to her, his hand dangerously close to her exposed thigh. Not for the first time of the night she wished she had worn pants instead. "It would be such a waste for you to go home alone. Especially after all the work you've put into tonight." The way his eyes traveled from her feet to her chest, and down again, gaze her shivers, and not the good sort. She sighed, really just wanting to have this fellow gone.

"Thank you for your compliment, I think. But really, truly, I am perfectly okay with just sitting here. Maybe you might want to look for some other-" _poor and lacking in self-respect _"-soul."

He heaved a sigh, disappointment coating his face. If he hadn't opened his mouth she would have thought he was rather cute. But now, all she could feel when she looked at his was disgust. "But I don't want anybody else, I want you." His hand gently brushed against her skin and she nearly recoiled in shock.

The contact made her skin crawl.

"Will. I suggest that if you still want your hand to work you remove it from my leg." She said softly.

The man looked up, sure that he had heard her wrong. "Pardon?"

She was getting more and more aggravated. "I said-"

"I think the lady has made her point Will. Perhaps you should go home, get some rest. You've had quite a bit to drink." Another voice interrupted.

_Great. Another creep to lose._ She thought to herself as she turned her head slightly so that the newest addition to their little group came into view. _Why won't they just leave me alone?_

The new comer wasn't as sturdily built as his friend. He seemed more lean, although it was difficult to tell since he was still dressed in the standard marine uniform that, like her own work clothing, did nothing to compliment his shape. Still, he wasn't bad looking either, with messy black hair and a faint hint of stubble around his chin.

"What's it to you?" Will bit back, _okay so maybe they aren't really __friends__. _"Why you gotta come here and ruin my fun. Go get your own girl."

The man rubbed his eyebrows with his thumb and index finger, looking like he obviously did not want to be in this situation. "Just go Will, before you do something that you will regret."

Her problem looked like he was going to say something in retort, but at the somewhat dangerous flash in the dark-haired man's eyes, which she had to admit, was kind of hot, he closed his mouth and sighed, muttering. "Maybe you're right. Can't fucking get any tail in this place." before getting off his chair and stumbling towards the washroom.

Sky raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed that he was gone without her needing to raise a finger. "Right…" he began awkwardly, "I think I will go now."

She frowned; he didn't chase the first one off to get to her? Now that was new. "Wait." She called out just as he was turning around to go. "Would you like to… Sit?" _What are you doing? _She asked herself, half horrified.

He shifted uncomfortably. "It's alright. This isn't exactly my scene anyway. I just thought that Will needed some convincing."

"Then I have to insist that you join me, especially since you did save me a lot of trouble, and that this isn't exactly my scene either. So we can be two odd ducks together." He hesitated and she knew she was getting through to him. "Just one drink?" She half pleaded, puppy dog eyes on extreme mode.

Eventually, with a sigh, he gave in and sunk down next to her. She nearly clapped in glee; it would be nice to have some companionship that didn't want to get into her pants, or thong in her case. "What do you want?"

The marine waved his hand, "whatever you're having."

Sky raised her eyebrows and shrugged as she ordered another of what she was sipping on. Maybe he was gay…?

Or maybe not as he paled considerably after he noticed the brilliantly neon colored drink in front of her. He leaned to get a closer look. "I know, I don't understand it," she shook her head. "I swear it is glowing."

The man laughed, relaxing slightly at her friendly tone. "You sure it isn't poisonous?"

"Well… I'm not dead yet. But hey, it is nice to know that I don't have to die alone if it is."

**###**

The night went so much better than expected. Sky was amazed to find that she actually had a good time, mostly due to her newfound friend that had her cracking up in laughter for half of the night. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he was not the arrogant stuck-up that she had assumed him to be. He was actually quite intelligent, and their conversation flowed easily. So well in fact, that she had proposed they leave the club early to sit outside and chat, away from the smoke, people and music. And he had agreed. They slipped away quietly, not wanting to draw unwanted attention towards themselves, and sat at the fountain near her apartment for the better part of the night.

"So… I had a great time." She said as they came to a stop outside her door. He was sweet enough to walk her home. A good thing too since she had a little more alcohol in her than she could safely handle.

"So did I."

A somewhat awkward silence fell over the two as they purposely avoided looking at each other. She cleared her throat. "You're deporting tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right."

Another awkward pause.

"So… Maybe I'll see you the next time I get back?"

Maybe it was the alcohol getting to her brain, or perhaps it was the thought of returning to her apartment, all alone for the first time in three weeks, but a spike of loneliness shot through her at his words. Next time? She was pretty sure there would be no next time. Marine life was difficult; she knew that. For all she knew, this would be the last time she would lay eyes on this person ever again. "How? You don't even know my name." She said with a small smile.

It was true. He was about to introduce himself to her before she stopped him short. She was suddenly struck by the fact that she didn't want to know his name and she didn't want him to know hers. That was the problem with having knowledge of all that was going to happen in this Universe. She could have heard of him somewhere, somehow, and she didn't want her night to be ruined by that. Plus… he had looked _somewhat_ familiar, so the less she knew the better. He thought it was an odd request, but did not push it.

He grinned back at her, "true. All the more reason for you to tell me though."

Sky just shook her head. "We all need some mysteries in life. Let this be ours. It makes this occasion all the more… special."

"Fine… I'll find out one day though." _Unlikely._ "I promise you that."

"I'll hold you to that then." She tapped on the lock on the side of her door, so that it swished open. "So this is goodnight, and goodbye then?"

He nodded, "it was great meeting you." Then he hesitated. "I mean, that honestly." He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, causing a shiver to go down her spine. "Goodnight."

"Be safe."

He smiled at her words and waved, before walking down her corridor. She sighed, stepping into her empty apartment, listening to the doors shut behind her.

The high of the night, the happiness she had just moment before completely disappeared as her dark, almost ominous living room came into view, together with that offensive couch. She sighed, biting her thumb in contemplation.

After a moment, she gave up with the internal battle inside and turned around, intending to run back out onto the corridor. But as she opened her door she was surprise to see the marine standing behind it, as though he was just about to ring her bell. He looked up at her, shock clear in his eyes...

And then they slid to her lips.

Next thing she could remember, they were changing her opinion of the poor couch again.

**###**

**Ooh someone got lucky. ;] but who is the mystery man? I know who you all think it is, but who is he really? =D**

**To be honest I was contemplating actually writing out the sex scene. But I don't know. Maybe later on I'll make a one-shot of this scene and post it somewhere else.**

**Anyway, legit longest chapter so far. Again though, I'm not sure if it seemed a little rush. I was so excited to get to this point I know sometimes it gets the better of me. SO let me know what you think?**

**I wanted to upload this last night but somehow this site seemed to be have some problems or something, and couldn't. But anyway, I already have the next chapter planned out so if I'm *you're* lucky I might have another done by tomorrow or later tonight!**

**As per usual, comments are welcomed and a little encouraged. I know I'm not supposed to really 'care too much about what other people think' but sometimes writing for the public has me terrified because I get so nervous, wanting to know if I've done a good job or no. I'm sure you newer writers can relate.**

**Thank you greed11, Nanobot5770, S058 and an no-named anon for reviewing. Of course, thank you everyone who has ever subscribed, read or reviewed my piece.**

**greed11 - as per usual, gotcha. And yes, very intelligently placed pun ;]**

**Nanobot5770 - sorry for the shock! But all will be explained in due time. More of Shep and Sky's life will be revealed next chapter!**

**S058 - definitely not, I'd probably get more annoyed at that than you would.**

**Anon - I know, and apologies, but again, all will be explained in due time. I'm glad you've enjoyed this so far!**

**Hope to hear from you lot and to see you again next chapter!**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. even if there is a slightest bit that sort of seemed unrealistic, do let me know?**

**pps. Oh, and also, although I'm not up to the point of story I was in my previous fic, I have now beaten that one in both word count _and no. of _reviews. =D Hehe.**


	10. Chapter 10 The Beginning of Nothing

_Edited: 27th February 2012_

**###**

**Chapter 10**

**Windows to the Soul**

_Flashback: Year 2171_

"_Don't even think about it Sky."_

"_But why not? It is the perfect plan."_

"_Just… Just don't." The blonde sighed, fingers tracing the large, rectangular shaped mechanism at the back of her skull. Sky looked on, a little concerned. It had only been three weeks since they fitted her with the new L3 implants; she knew that Jane often suffered from intense headaches, as much as she denied it. The other girl seemed to have caught her look for she shook her head slightly, resting her hand back onto her thigh. "Don't worry, the headaches are getting less and less frequent."_

_The two girls were sitting in their favourite spot, a bridge not too far away from the Citadel tower. It was a quiet, peaceful location, hidden away from most of the citizens while offering a splendid view of the Presidium. She had to salute the Reapers, albeit begrudgingly, for having created such a beautiful place. It was no wonder that it became the heart of all galactic species, several cycles over. There was just something about it…_

_To be frank, living in the Citadel had been quite the experience. It took her the better half of the year just getting used to seeing and interacting with all the aliens everywhere, and the rest to figure out all the technical advancements that she had never touched before. She loved the diversity of cultures and species that this place had to offer; it made learning about everything all the more difficult and interesting. The technology however, was a whole different ballgame. Back home, she was already helpless when it came to understanding most operating systems, but here? Woah, even Jane was astounded with how little she could understand. The operation of an omnitool, checking her mail, setting reminders for tasks, she could do, but anything more than that? She was absolutely hopeless._

_The past year did, however, bring the limitations behind playing the Mass Effect games to her attention. The Citadel in ME2 had been very small and closed off to only the Zakera wards and the Presidium. Although she did recall having more options in terms of exploration in the first part of the trilogy, it could scarcely cover everything that she saw here now. Again, the difference between the game and living in this world still surprised her everyday, reminding her that there was more to almost everything than what she could see from behind her computer screen._

_Sky frowned, bringing her mind back to the matter at hand. "Are you sure?"_

_The younger girl rolled her eyes, "yes mom." Before running her fingers through her extremely short hair. They had to shave her scalp before the operation, a standard procedure for most brain surgeries. Didn't mean that she liked her new look though. "Just wish that my hair would grow back faster."_

_Sky raised an eyebrow at that. "Your hair is growing back way faster than should be considered normal. So I don't know what you're complaining about." She tugged at her own thin, dark strands. "While I'm losing more than I can afford to." Plus, Jane looked good either way, with or without hair._

"_But anyway, stop trying to change the topic. Sky, there is no way in Hell you should be joining the Alliance."_

"_You do realize that I am your senior right? That you shouldn't be telling me what I can or cannot do?"_

_Jane's eyes flashed angrily. "Don't be stupid. You're not soldier material."_

"_And you are?"_

"_Yes!" the other girl nearly shouted in response. "The frontlines are not what you imagine them to be."_

_Sky rolled her eyes, "Of course I know that, how daft do you think I am? I was on Mindoir too remember?"_

"_You can barely even squash a butterfly without feeling remorse." The older girl opened her mouth to retort which Jane quickly cut off. "And don't pretend that you're perfectly okay with killing. Being a soldier, you need to see the larger picture, even if that means leaving a little 5 year old girl to die so that you can save your entire platoon, so be it!"_

"_You can live with that?" Sometimes… Sometimes Jane worried her. The things she would say or do to get what she wanted done… She had a good heart, Sky knew that: everything she did, she did with the best intentions. But it was her methods that irked her out at times._

"_I'm not like you. I don't feel for every single person I talk to, I don't empathize and try to imagine what he or she had to go through. Somebody pisses me off, I'm slamming their head into the ground, regardless if they have had an abusive parent or is a mother of two." The blonde sighed once more, shaking her head slowly. "I would love to have you there with me, to have someone I trust by my side. But I'm not going to let you throw away everything you are just to become a soldier." She turned to Sky and gripped her hand, hard. "You have something that so many of us have lost. Don't take that for granted."_

_Sky gulped and shifted uncomfortably from the intensity of Jane's gaze bearing down on her. Finally, she nodded, and the other girl's posture relaxed almost immediately._

"_When are you going to enlist then?" She asked, almost miserably. She was so sure that Jane would be ecstatic at the idea. She had been thinking about it for the past few weeks, wondering if she should join the Alliance as the blonde had planned to... But Jane was right: she was not marine material. She shuddered at the scenario her adopted sister had painted, to be able to leave a little girl to die...? Not possible._

"_Hopefully next year. They said I needed to get used to using my amp before I can properly enlist. But with the training regime that Anderson has been putting us through, I don't think that would take too long."_

_She groaned, "Yeah, 'training'. More like torture." _

_Upon arriving at the Citadel almost a year ago the girls had begged Lieutenant Anderson to put them through some form of fitness program. He gave them some tips and basic exercises to start off at first, increasing the intensity and difficulty each time he came back. Now they were running over 10km a day, followed by a series of weight lifting, stretching, agility training and sparring sessions. Their fitness levels have improved significantly; Sky was more flexible than Jane, and faster too, probably due to her smaller stature. But Jane would always be greater in strength and stamina, which ultimately always won her their sparring matches. "When is he coming back next?"_

"_A week's time I think. Has a surprise for us apparently." The Lieutenant's 'surprise' normally consisted of more pain for the two of them. "Won't tell me what though."_

_Sky sighed, placing her face into her cupped palms. "Great. Looking forward to it."_

**###**

The beeping of her alarm clock slowly drew her out of her a very pleasant dream: something to do with double rainbows and fields of gold... It was going to be a good day, she could tell. Her body hummed with a form of very pleased energy and she felt more rested than she had in over two months. She sighed, sinking deeper into her comfortable sheets, even her alarm that was increasing in volume could not ruin the morning.

Reaching over she snapped the 'off' button before carrying with her morning ritual. She stretched and flexed every part of her body, starting with cracking her toes, to rotating her ankles, to hands, arms, shoulders, neck, back. It was when she pulled herself to as long as she possibly could, back curling and letting out a series of small pops when she heard a low whistle, followed by.

"That is probably one of the sexiest things I've ever seen."

She bolted up; eyes snapping open while she reached behind her pillow for her pistol. When she realized it wasn't there she quickly turned her attention to the handsome, but otherwise half-naked, man in the room. "Where's my gun?"

"Relax." He replied, sounding amused as he leaned against the door frame leading from her bedroom to the bathroom. "It's on your bedside table." She followed his gaze and noted that it was within an arms reach. "I removed it last night because I was afraid that one of us might get hurt when we were… busy."

She blinked, _last night...?_ The events of a few hours ago, albeit a little hazily, slowly returned to her. Her face took on a lovely shade of bright red. How much did they drink exactly? _Strange_, she thought as she flexed her hands, she didn't feel hung over at all. "R-Right…" She stammered slightly, she had never had a one-night-stand before and the rules of engagement of such an event were a little lost to her. "Sorry." Even though she wasn't really sure exactly what she was sorry for.

The still half-naked, still smiling marine chuckled, and shook his head, wet hair indicating he had obviously just stepped out of the shower. "It's fine. I'm more than used to that sort of attitude. I'm surprised you're awake actually. It is rather early." Unlike the presidium, the wards had no artificial day-night cycle, so she had set her automated tint to allow light in around 6:30am. Now, in broad light and a sober mind, she gave the soldier before her a one-over that she had not been able to before. And boy, did she enjoy what she saw.

Looking back into his eyes she could tell from his less-than-subtle grin that he knew she was staring, but he made no move to cover his extremely toned body. In fact, he shifted slightly, allowing his pants to move half an inch lower, exposing a little more of that dark snail trail, while at the same time causing his muscles to ripple deliciously. She bit her lip, hard, before blushing furiously.

To her horror, it slowly dawned upon her that she was stark naked. Grabbing her sheets, she quickly wrapped them around herself.

"I… wouldn't do that if I were you. Those sheets really need some good washing."

Was he _trying_ to burn her alive? Her face honestly felt like it was on fire as she trudged towards the bathroom, tightening the covers around her more as she squeezed past him. The echo of his laughter resounded through her head as she furiously slammed her bathroom door shut.

Git. What made her even want to have sex with him anyway?

Stepping out of her empty bedroom, clean, fresh and with her comfortable uniform back on her body, she felt better than ever. The smell of frying bacon brought her automatically to the kitchen where she was immediately confronted with the confusing sight of the dark-haired marine hunched over the stove, open bag of pork strips in hand as he munched on toast.

She blinked.

And then she blinked again, half expecting this to still be a dream.

"Hungry?" he asked, not even bothering to turn around until he deemed the food ready to serve. She nodded, settling herself down onto the counter. "Could you wipe the table? I haven't managed to do that." Her table was always clean, why would he want her to-

She stood up hastily, grabbing the washcloth and scrubbing the metal, hard, as her face returned to its previous scarlet red. God _how many times…_?

"Four."

She looked up, not realizing she had voiced that question out loud, before sighing and sitting back down, digging into the surprisingly tasty food that he had prepared. "How is that even possible?" she muttered to herself.

"Didn't you know? I'm superman." He grinned cheekily as he sat down opposite her, and proceeded to enjoy his meal.

Looking up at her companion, Sky frowned. "Not that I don't appreciate waking up to bacon and everything, but is this something you do every time you have a one-night-stand?"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Never done it before."

Her eyes widened, she wasn't expecting that. "So I'm your first…?"

"I wasn't a virgin if that is what you're asking. But no, I've never entered a stranger's house to have probably, one of the best nights of my life, either."

She hastily closed her mouth when she realized she was gaping. Smiling slightly, she returned to her delicious food, for some reason feeling very pleased inside at his words. "What time are you deporting?"

He glanced at the digital clock at the far end of her apartment. It read '7:15am'. "Probably in about 4 hours? Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair in a bit, I just needed some sustenance, being a biotic and all. I hope you don't mind me raiding your fridge."

She shook her head. "My sister's a biotic too. So I understand. That's why the fridge's always so full anyway."

He raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Your sister is in the Alliance?"

"Yeap. N7 marine. Waiting for her new posting at the moment." She couldn't help but cheer inwardly at the impressed gleam in the soldier's eyes. She wouldn't openly admit it, but she was very proud of Jane.

"What's her name? Maybe I know her."

"Shep-" She stopped short, before shooting him a look. "Nice try."

He grinned, slamming his fist onto the table in mock frustration. "Damn, I was hoping I got you there. Still hung up on the whole I-don't-want-to-know-your-name thing huh? Why so insistent?"

Eyes twinkling, she got up and cleared her dishes and the cooking utensils that he had been using before, ignoring his protests. It was only fair that since he cooked, she cleaned. "For reasons you cannot comprehend my dear." She petted his cheek lightly after drying her hands.

The light contact that her hand made with his rough skin lit a sudden, but deep fire inside her gut. She could barely believe it, but she even found the way his stubble prickled her hand, strangely erotic. All the men she had ever been with were clean-shaven, but this… She found herself unable to stop from caressing his face softly, loving the way his shadow felt. "So what are you doing in those four hours?" Her voice was lower, huskier.

He stood up slowly and she was suddenly aware of how strangely terrifying, yet intensely sexy it felt to have his six feet frame towering over her. She couldn't understand it. If they managed to do it _four_ times last night, how was her body still craving for more? _Why_ was it craving for more? Oh she was going to be late for work. _Stupid, hormonal-_

All her thoughts and worries were cut off as soon as he stooped down, lips meeting hers.

**###**

It was dark when she woke. She rubbed her eyes, mind still a little foggy. What time was it…? Turning her head to check the clock on her beside table. the flashing green light told her it was mid-day.

Then why was it so dark?

_Oh._

That's right. They had blocked off the artificial light when they were _doing it_. She sat up slowly, and returned her tint to their original state. Allowing her eyes to orientate to the brightness, she realized that aside from her, her bedroom was empty.

Right, he did tell her he was leaving around 11. Shifting slightly, she realized that her omnitool was blinking with two new messages. She opened the first one, from 'an unknown address'.

_Dear Skylar,_

_Yes, I cheated, I know, horrible of me. But I couldn't stand knowing your face, your body without having a name to place to it so I propped open your omnitool._

_Don't worry though, I didn't look at anything else, you have to trust me on that._

_I don't want you to think that I am the kind of person that would just up and leave without letting you know. It is just that you were sleeping so peacefully I couldn't bear to wake you. I wasn't lying when I said I'm not the type to randomly go home with a stranger. But the way we conversed last night... Well, I honestly wasn't, and still am not, sure what made me walk back to your door, but I guess being a soldier, sometimes I feel like I have to take chances before it is too late you know? _

_Anyway, I'm not too sure when I will be back on the Citadel again. But on the off chance that you are still available then, maybe we could meet up for dinner or something? I'll come find you._

_I had a good time, both last night and this morning. So thank you, for the food, the great company, the extracurricular activities._

_Take care until then._

She burst out laughing, suddenly high at the thought of being able to see him again, at the thought of him actually _wanting _to see her memories of the past hours replayed vividly in her mind as her face began to heat up once again. He was a great guy, an extremely considerate lover. She never knew that sex could be so much fun. Oh-so-fun that she was often caught between laughing and moaning.

Whatever it was he was talking about, she could feel it too. She had an amazing time as well.

She bit her lip, reveling from the happy bubble inside as she opened the next mail. But the name 'David Anderson' at the top caused her smile to falter.

At the following words, her heart stopped, any form of joy evaporating at the four simple words:

_Elysium is under attack._

**_###_**

**JENG JENG JEEEENG.**

**And now, the story really begins.**

**How will Jane react to the Blitz? Who is the mystery man? After this chapter, is he still who you all think he is? ;]**

**Maybe maybe not. But either way, if it _is _Kaidan, don't forget that this is many years before ME therefore she won't really recognize him and he is still relatively new to the Alliance so could be innocent enough to have written what that letter said (that is my rebuttal to those who says 'oh this guy doesn't act really act like stoic, quiet Kaidan') But anyway, I don't want to ruin the story for you guys, so keep guessing! =]**

**I have my psychology exam tomorrow and I haven't studied at all. I am quite dead. =[**

**Thank you S058, bale626 (ooh, newcomer), BAMS, Helljumper 1337, greed 11 and Liege Lord for your input and reviews. And of course big thank you to everyone who has subscribed, reviewed or read this story at all.**

**S058: There was defs something wrong with the hits thing. =P Somehow it read 3 hits after I got 4 reviews... So I'm guessing the site was a little messed up, not that I'm actively complaining. Just a little errors that's all. =]**

**greed11: As you know, agreed completely and I have made the changes. Again, thank you. =] I'm running out of compliments here. =P**

**Alenko... or no? Most of you seem to think it's Kaidan.**

**Either way, let me know what you think of this chapter, the realism of it all, language, grammar, etc. Whatever you think require improvement.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**EDIT: I changed the letter? =S I'm still not satisfied with it, but I'm going to have to brainstorm a little more. 'Feel' the way the guy was feeling before I can write it again. Personally, I think I'm just too tired at the moment. I'll try again later.**


	11. Chapter 11 Talk to Me

_Updated: 8th March 2012_

**###**

**Chapter 11**

**Where is my mind?**

The sound of her shoes tapping against the floor echoed through the empty corridor. On a different day, she would have marveled at the grip her new combat boots offered against the slippery marble beneath her feet, but not today.

Her distracted mind prevented her from registering a flustered dark-skinned woman jogging around the approaching corner until she let out a yelp, slipped and nearly smashed right into Sky. Without thinking, her arms shot out to stabilize the other woman.

"Crap-" She swore as her overflowing charts hit the ground. Glancing up, her eyes widened when she saw who she had bumped into. "Ah shit, I'm so sorry ma'am. I didn't see you there." She quickly got to her knees and reached for the scattered clipboards.

"Morning Dahlia." Sky bent down to help her clumsy assistant retrieve some of her fallen items. "It's fine, my own fault for being so out of it."

The poor woman looked positively terrified when she stood up once again. She shook her head, her curly thick black hair fanning out around her. Sky took the time to give her a quick one-over, taking in her disheveled appearance. She couldn't deny that Dahlia was rather absent-minded, more often than not she was the reason Sky stayed up late, correcting some of her figures, but she had always been able to maintain a very professional image in the office.

Actually, this was the first time Sky had ever seen her in her uniform without her hair up in her usual tight ponytail. "No- no. I just didn't expect to see you in today that's all. Shouldn't be running through these halls anyway, stupid floors."

She offered her a gentle smile in attempt to dispel her strange behavior. "Is everything alright?"

Dahlia gulped nervously, shaking her head once again. "I don't know, there seems to be some trouble with Twofa- I mean, 370923-8-483 ma'am." She quickly corrected herself.

The dark-haired woman sighed, and took half of Dahlia's large stack from her, ignoring her half-hearted attempts at protesting. She waved her off and continued down towards her destination. "Why didn't someone contact me? I have relayed specific instructions to be called in if he acted up."

"We didn't want to disturb you ma'am, with what was announced this morning." She dully noted the increase in intensity of her Barbadian accent, which seemed to happen every time she was under pressure. The other woman sounded so absolutely miserable that she was beginning to feel very sorry for her. "They wanted me to- to talk to him."

Send Dahlia to deal with…? Were they out of their bloody minds? Sky groaned, wanting very much to slam her head against the wall next to her. The sweet, Caribbean girl was a quick learner, but definitely not prepared for this sort of situation. Not wanting to come off as unprofessional she just rolled her eyes at the higher-ups' stupidity, before walking through the glass doors before her. "It's alright. I'm here now."

"Welcome to the Citadel Correction Facility."

Out of habit, Sky nodded at the orange hologram of a partially robotic woman that stood beside the entrance as it did an immediate scan of both herself and Dahlia. "Ah, welcome back Ms Ahleaa and Ms Skylar."

"Thanks Jen." She gestured for the other woman to follow her as she headed to the elevator at the far end of the room, but not before dropping the load of charts at the front desk. "Alright fill me in with what is going on."

Dahlia nodded, visibly calmer now that she knew the outcome of the situation no longer rested on her shoulders. "I'm not really sure what happened, but he started getting extremely violent during breakfast. And I mean, much more violent than usual." She shook her head and answered Sky's silent question. "No, he didn't kill anyone. But he did knock out five guards and three other inmates before they could get to him."

"Alright." She stepped out of the elevator but stopped the dark-skinned woman from following her. She reached back into the lift and pressed the button that lead to their office. "Don't worry about this. I've got it. You should head upstairs to inform the boss that I'm here."

The woman looked torn between wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and the inmate and her loyalty to her superior. Sky shook her head and winked, "honestly, go."

She nodded slowly but as Sky stepped back to allow the elevator doors to shut Dahlia blurted out "Are you okay ma'am? I- I mean, with the Blitz and all…"

"I'm fine Dahlia, don't worry."

"Oh… Okay. Will see you later then."

Sighing, she made her way down to the hall as soon as her assistant's face disappeared. Being a psychologist, she wasn't used to people asking about her well-being as she was far more accustomed to asking about theirs.

The Citadel Correction Facility, CCF for short, was a detention and correction facility for criminals caught on the Citadel. It worked partially as a prison and a behaviour therapy centre, offering numerous programs to 'fix' deviants and delinquents. The facility contained a number of different departments and specialists. The building itself occupied a large part of the Tayseri ward, easily claiming the title of 'largest structure' within the ward itself.

The CFF resembled both a mental hospital, and a prison. The inmates live underground, beneath the base of the facility. That area, dubbed 'Living Hall', consisted of all the prison cells, bathrooms, cafeterias and staff lounges and was easily four times larger than the rest of the building. Everything about the place, from the structure to separation of the criminals had been very well planned out and done to ensure maximum efficiency. Sky had only been down there eight times in her entire career here and she disliked it; it greatly reminded her of the Prison Ship Purgatory that they had to free Jack from in ME2: cold, metallic and uncomfortable.

Above ground, where the therapies and programs were mostly conducted, looked like a whole new world all together. It was a more expensive, larger version of a mental hospital mix clinic. The very tall building, although not the tallest, was designed with great detail, as was most of the architecture on the Citadel. It was beautiful and elegant, one of the more aesthetically pleasing structures within the ward. Sky had to admit, working and living conditions on the Citadel was rather impressive, especially for someone who had came from a developing country.

When a criminal is first charged guilty for a crime, they are assessed by a team of two psychologists and a psychiatrist. The three specialists must then place each individual criminal on a scale of '1 to 10'. The score is dependant on the nature and seriousness of the crime they had committed with their psychological and biological background. Criminals who are given the score of 1 to 3 tend to have committed petty crimes and have the greatest chance of successful behaviour correction while those with a score of 8 to 10 tend to be marked as 'lost causes'. The facility only housed inmates with the scores of 8 and below, and only for a maximum of two years. If there is no change in their ability to conform to Citadel's law within that period of time, or if they were given a score above 8, they would be transferred to an actual prison facility.

Forensic psychology had always been a subject of interest for the dark-haired girl, even back in her own universe. The fact that the CFF had aliens of all different species made it all the more fascinating for her. In the end, after Jane had enlisted with the Alliance, Sky chose to pursue a degree, and then a Masters, and was now a PhD student in criminology. Her innate ability to interact and understand people of all species quickly made her one of the University's best students, and then later one of CFF's most valuable employees. Furthermore, her continuous physical training under Staff Commander David Anderson made her most equipped to handle the more difficult inmates using more unconventional means.

Jen, the orange VI from before appeared in the terminal beside her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Ms Skylar, Mr Odra would like to speak to you." Sky sighed. Great. Exactly what she needed.

"Patch him through."

Not that she had a choice either way.

To be honest, she wasn't even sure if she made the right decision to come into work today. She had spent the better part of yesterday pacing, thinking and imagining all the worst-case disastrous situations that she could do nothing about, back to worrying again. The leap of emotions from her absolutely amazing night of passion to the crashing worry over her sister had set her awry and her mind was still in a frazzled tangle. But she was fairly certain that if she spent another moment doing nothing, she was going to go insane.

The hologram disappeared for half a second, only to be replaced by an image of a salarian dressed in the alien equivalent of a business suit. "Sky. Very, very glad to see you in today. Very glad indeed." She nodded in response. "I assume you have been filled in? Ah yes, obviously, since Ms Ahleaa has came to see me. But yes, you can see, very dire situation."

Again, Sky nodded. "I'm on my way to handle him."

The blue-skinned amphibian blinked, eyelids shooting upwards then back down, before smiling widely, displaying a very thin row of small teeth. "Good. Good. Again, glad you're here. 483's evaluation is tomorrow. I hope you remembered that. Just a casual reminder." The doctor closed her eyes, trying to keep her face expressionless. "Will leave you to it then."

"Thank you sir."

"Oh, before I forget. Very sorry about the Blitz, heard your sister is still there. Was wondering why you didn't come in yesterday. But no worries, I really understand, you can make up for it in overtime." With that, the image of her boss disappeared.

Sky was already walking away from the terminal in barely-contained fury before Jen could finish her usual "Transmission ended."

**###**

"It is very good to see you today doctor." The low, calm voice of the criminal washed gently over her worked-up brain. For some strange reason, she was more delighted to see the drell before her, than her own boss. Oh how she disliked that salarian.

"It's good to see you too Rahan." She leaned back forwards, hands on the table. Assassins were suspicious, nervous, twitchy people, and insane ones even more so. She knew that the appearance of calm that the reptilian-looking man had before her was just a façade. She watched as his eyes flickered to her hands for half a millisecond, before returning to her face. "You do realize your evaluation is tomorrow right?"

The inmate just nodded.

Sky didn't push for a response. "Perhaps beating down eight people wasn't the most intelligent of choices." She looked into his eyes. "Why Rahan? Your record has been spotless for months."

The drell remained straight-backed; large, all-seeing eyes boring into hers as usual. She had to admit, they were alarmingly attractive creatures, despite their dry green skin and reptilian features, there was just something about the way they moved and held themselves. They reminded her of one of her favourite Earth animals: snakes; in grace, poise, and deadliness. He tilted his head to the right. "What makes you think I didn't lose control?" he asked softly, dangerously.

"Because no one died." Her voice matched his: calm, centered.

The sides of his lips turned upwards in a feral grin. The transition would have been fearsome to watch, were she someone else. "I didn't? I must have missed."

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. He always had that very terrifying ability to sense fear. "You don't 'miss'. You never 'miss'."

"Well that can't be true since I have not been able to kill you yet."

The dark-haired girl smiled softly. "That is because you're no longer in control."

He growled and stared her down as a predator would his prey. "I can assure you, he can't hold me back for long."

She followed his movements with her eyes, but refused to turn her head or make any acknowledgement of his unspoken threat. She just shrugged and relaxed further.

He paused halfway through his motion of standing up, before letting out a breath and calmly sitting back down. Shooting her an apologetic glance he sighed and said: "Tomorrow will be my last day here." Voice strong, more himself.

Sky noted that he had phrased it more as a statement than a question. "If you don't pass the evaluation, then yes."

The CFF held an evaluation after the end of the regular two-year period to decide if more efforts should be made to reintegrate the criminal back into society, or if they should just be placed into prison for real. The crocodile-skinned male nodded, before standing up. There were no shackles around his wrists or ankles as one might expect from a criminal that just acted up. But Sky had been interacting with the killer for two years now, and knew how he thought, functioned and acted. Many argued that she was crazy to take such a risk, but trust was a big issue between the inmate and therapist. She would do nothing to betray him.

The drell walked to the corner of the white room. It was a simple square room with padded walls. Much like one out of a mental hospital; large enough for comfortable movement, with nothing but a simple metal table and two chairs. There were no cameras, windows, or mirrors in this one- they had total and utter privacy. Again, trust issues. There was no way for Sky to contact anyone outside the room unless she pressed the panic button on her omnitool. But of course, if Rahan really wanted to kill her, he probably would be able to snap her neck before she even reached for said button.

In more ways than one the man before her reminded her of one of the Mass Effect 2 characters, Thane Krios. They were similar in many ways: religion, attitude, abilities; Rahan was also a Compact assassin; one that upon fulfilling his final quest, had turned himself into C-Sec.

"I feel… A little sad at that thought and it surprises me."

"What makes you think you're going to fail?"

"Come now Skylar, do you think they're going to pass me after today's incident?"

She remained silent, knowing full well that the board would not. Rahan was already an odd case when it came to societal reintegration. If he had passed the evaluation, he would never fully able to return living in Citadel, but would be a full time citizen within CFF itself. "Is that why you did it? You want to go to prison?"

With his back turned to her she was not able to read his reactions, but she did see his back and calf muscles tense ever so slightly. "What we want and what we deserve are two different things." He replied cryptically, before turning around and walking back to her. "It is due processing."

She cocked her head in question. "Due processing? For your sins?" He nodded. "Your actions were not your own. You know that."

"Yes, they were not. But they finally are."

Sky understood what he was trying to tell her, but she disliked the way it made her feel. She had learnt to enjoy the drell's company over the past year. It was a strange situation, a friendship between psychologist and criminal, one that was definitely heavily frowned upon. But Rahan wasn't the evil one;

It was _him_.

They didn't name him, not wishing to give him the power of having a name, Rahan's 'otherside'.

Yeah, it surprised her as well to know that aliens suffered from psychological disorders. A very odd concept, but after giving it more thought she realized that perhaps people just underestimated how alike humanity and aliens are.

Rahan was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder after his trial. Having been orphaned at a very, very young age and given to the hanar to fulfill the Compact at 6, she theorized that he overcame the stress of his guilty conscience by developing a second personality; A dark, cruel, evil side of him that was equal in physical skill and power, but dominant during situations of discomfort. It took her two long years and an incredible amount of work to get him to where he is now. He would never be able to mask or control both his personalities completely, but he now had superiority when it came to function of his own body.

"Perhaps we could…" He then trailed off, unsure if he should follow through with his request.

"Of course." Sky smiled softly and nodded, before shifting the bare furniture to the corner of the room with his help.

This ritual started when he first came to her, unable to handle his other personality. He was originally given a high 8.9 score and was due for transportation to prison when she discovered him. There was just something that attracted her to this case. She knew that prison would only make the situation worse, and would force the real Rahan deeper into his unconscious, allowing the darker side of him to take full control. She could not let that happen, it was as impossible as letting a poor kitten starve. So she begged, pleaded and pulled many strings to get him as her patient.

He was wild, crazy and seriously psychotic. He barely spoke in full sentences, could not control his bloodlust and was incredibly difficult to work with. She tried everything and was so close to giving up, when that faithful event occurred.

She remembered the incident as clear as day. They were scheduled for their session in a room similar to this one except he was shackled and chained to the ground and there were five guards standing outside the door to intervene should she come into a position of harm. But for some unexplainable reason, either to her great misfortune or luck, she still wasn't sure, his restraints had came loose, and before she knew it, she was in his chokehold.

Instincts honed after years and years of physical training with the Alliance's top fighters were the only reason she was still alive. He had underestimated her strength, assuming that she was just some regular doctor, and was unprepared when she smashed the back of her head into his nose, hard enough to break it. When his grip had loosened in surprise she went for his temple using her knuckles that was quickly followed by him crashing into the ground and her hidden knife to his throat.

The guards came rushing in, guns blazing and threatening the criminal that was on the floor. But he made no attempts to resist her grip, nor did he acknowledge their new company. Instead he stared at her in a mixture of respect and contemplation, before his eyes cleared and she met the true Rahan for the first time.

Since then she had been interacting with both sides of the drell. She fought with words, teeth and nails against his darker personality when she needed to, and offered comfort, solace to his true self. It was a complicated three-way relationship that involved a lot of back-and-forths, progression and regression, for them to get to this stage. But as she looked at her patient before her, she could not be more proud.

And yet, at the same time, there was nothing she could do to change the outcome of his future. All she could do was pray that he would always maintain in control.

The drell gave her no hint before he rushed at her. Adrenaline of a fight flooded through her as her mind cleared to a blank. She blocked his strike and retaliated with a kick of her own.

Perhaps some might think her insane for even thinking about sparring with such a dangerous, deadly enemy of the state, but Rahan never went too far, never truly hurt her. Plus, he was the best teacher she had. Through the vigorous exercise that they went through almost every week she had grown stronger, faster and even managed to learn a number of maneuvers from him. They had very similar fighting styles anyway: fast, silent and sharp.

She grabbed his oncoming fist with her right hand, swallowing the need to shout at the excruciating pain vibrating up her arm and instead used the momentum to twist her body around, delivering a kick to his face. His eyes widened slightly in surprise before he ducked and rolled underneath her, moving out of the range of her long legs.

He raised his eyebrows. "That is something new."

"What can I say? Improvisation." She cradled her right arm. "Hurts like a bitch though."

He tsked, "Language."

She loved fights like this, where it involved nothing but pure, unadulterated skill and intelligence. Her mind was churning at a million miles per second, trying to predict and retaliate. That was the beauty of hand-to-hand combat. It was precisely what she needed after the news she received yesterday.

'_Elysium is under attack… Situation is still a little unclear. Will let you know when I find out what is happening. -Anderson'_

'_This just in, the human colony within the Skyllian Verge, Elysium, is currently under siege by a large band of what seems to be pirates, slavers and batarian warlords. Rumors suggest that the attack is retaliation against the Alliance's pirate suppression campaign. Stay tuned for more information.'_

'_The System Alliance has sent reinforcements, but the situation looks dire. Elysium was unprepared. –Anderson'_

'_The estimated death toll-'_

A swift punch struck her on the side of her face and she was jerked backwards, colliding heavily against the _thankfully_ padded walls. Her opponent blinked, as though amazed his attack hit. She moaned and rubbed her cheek.

"That… should not have happened." He said as he hauled her onto her feet.

"Yeah sorry, a little distracted."

The drell frowned, and took a step backwards. "You should know better than to fight with me when you have other things on your mind Doctor."

Sky sighed, "I know." She touched her face gently and winced, that was going to bruise heavily tomorrow.

"It is your sister isn't it?"

The dark-haired woman looked up in shock. "How- how did you hear about that?"

He shrugged. "The guards are not as subtle as they think. And I do remember every single detail after all."

"Right." She momentarily forgot about drells' insane memories. Sighing, she leaned against the wall, "Yeah, I'm worried."

"You always worry."

She huffed. "Sue me."

"Tell me about her."

Sky shot him a questioning look, as though to say _'seriously?'_ He had never expressed real curiosity about her life before. Not to mention he was _her_ patient.

"I will be leaving to a prison tomorrow after all." She hated the nonchalant way he said it. "What would it matter what you tell me now?"

She wrinkled her nose, "I don't know. It just doesn't seem professional that's all."

"Indulge me. Think about it as goodbye gift from you to me."

The Chinese girl sighed, before sinking down to the ground. The drell sat a few feet away from her, cross-legged and back straight. For someone of his size and muscle composition, it still astounded her that he could be so flexible.

"She's family. Perfect in almost everyway." She shot him a look. "I think you two would get along. Strong, almost virtually indestructible; one of the most intelligent women I've ever met and incredibly gorgeous."

He didn't respond, just stared at her in a way that requested she continue.

She told him about how they met, how Jane had basically saved her life and how they were each others' lifeline for a long time. "She never left me behind, even though she was way ahead of me, in terms of academics or physical training, she would coax, push, shout, shove and whine at me until I reach the level she deemed satisfactory."

"She sounds like a great woman."

Sky nodded thoughtfully, "she is."

It wasn't as though she was extremely worried about Jane's safety. She knew she would survive Elysium. But she was sure that the blonde would return with significant emotional scarring… And no matter how much she knew of the future, she could not bring herself to accept that.

"Then she will pull through."

A high pitch bell broke their comfortable silence telling them that their hour was up. The dark-haired girl sighed and shook her head slowly. "I really thought you could have stayed."

The drell stood up gracefully and walked towards the other corner of the room where blue mass effect restraints materialized and clasp around his wrists and ankles. She could see from his eyes, he regretted nothing.

"It was an absolute pleasure working with you Skylar." He said gravely as the door opened and two guards walked in, 'escorts' to move him back to his cell. "Take care and don't worry too much about your sister. I'm sure she will be fine."

"I'll see you around then." Her throat constricted, it was difficult to see him go.

He turned his head at the last moment, a small sad smile gracing his handsome face. "I doubt it." Before he disappeared out of the room.

Sky sighed and placed her face in her hands. She hadn't mentally prepared herself for this. He was the first of all her patients to ever leave. And as much as she tried to maintain that rigid professionalism, it would be a lie to say that Rahan was not her favourite.

She prayed for both his and her sister's safety, but as she walked out of the empty white room, she couldn't help but feel as though she had just lost something very important and that it wasn't going to stop there.

**###**

**Hello all. I am back from my mini break. Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Been quite busy with mocks and all that. But that is done and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things. I also do realize that today perhaps isn't the best day to upload this, since everyone would be busy with ME3. I haven't got mine yet =[ Preordered it but I can only pick it up tomorrow. Sigh. But I guess better late than never.**

**I wonder what you think about this chapter. It explains more about Sky and her career path, etc. But I don't know how well it relates to the last chapter. Let me know if you think this flows right, and what you think of Sky's character now. =]**

**Also, Rahan is an important fellow. Not for a long time, but do remember his name. =P Juuust a heads up.**

**No mention of mystery man this chapter. Won't hear about him for at least two chapters (if not more) but still, who knows who this person is? ;]**

**Thank you Rosiegirl52, greed11, S058, Helljumper 1337, Liege Lord and on anon for reviewing. Again, your words are the reason I'm still writing.**

**Anon, Liege Lord, Hell Jumper 1337: Nope, won't be revealing him for a while. I love to keep y'all in suspense, and I'm afraid telling you whether he is a canon or OC would ruin it sooo...**

**greed11: As you know, I've changed it. Constructive criticisms are much appreciated so don't worry. I will be editing previous chapters as I move along, the language and what not.**

**NB! My laptop is running out of battery so I might have to spell check and tweak this chapter later.**

**Hope to hear from you guys.**

**Much love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. Skylar does not have a last name, this is not an error.**

**EDIT: Added a little more detail to explain the situation. I also tweaked Sky's thoughts a little to make her seem more like herself. **


	12. Chapter 12 Baby Steps

**###**

**Chapter 12**

**Strength of the Heart**

_Flashback: Year 2170_

"_I must say, this place has quite the view."_

_Sky nodded absent-mindedly as she watched the visiting doctor sit down on the sofa across her, clearly more interested in the real reason behind the brunette's visit. _

_She had received a message from Dr Chakwas yesterday, telling her that she finally came to a conclusion about her side wound's strange reaction. The teenager was quick to invite the doctor over, curious to know what she knew. She had yet to suffer another episode, which she was extremely grateful for since the pain was certainly no walk in the park, but it was still too early to tell, having left the Hastings for only three weeks. She stared expectantly at Chakwas, waiting for her to finally start speaking._

_The good doctor spread the file that she was carrying on the coffee table before her, "I took the liberty of using these past few week of shore leave to do further research into your scar. I cannot be a hundred percent certain, but I do believe that my theory holds some substance." Sky nodded, urging her to go on. "I am also not sure how this is physically possible, but even the asari have very limited knowledge in how Element Zero works so I didn't have much to back me up on."_

"_Element Zero?" The dark-haired girl questioned. "The substance that caused biotic powers?" What did that have to do with her?_

_The doctor nodded. "I believe you have had some exposure to some contaminated eezo, or more specifically, the drug, red sand. It is of an extremely minute amount, enough to infect your wound, but not enough to give you either biotic powers or cancer."_

_Sky could not have looked any more incredulous as she did at that moment. She racked her brain, trying to remember if she could recall any event where the residents of Mindoir were caught smuggling or trading the drug, but her efforts were to no avail. Her memory of the events of Mass Effect 1 was hazy enough as it is. "So… What does that do to me?" _

"_Again, this is just my theory. It occurred to me that your wound acted up when you came into skin contact with Shepard, who at that time was very biotically charged. But I did some experiments with your tissue sample and found that your muscle cells would undergo accelerated degeneration whenever exposed to mass effect fields." The teenager just stared. "However it seems like your cells only suffer when in direct contact with the fields."_

_She was rendered speechless. She was… allergic to biotics? That was certainly a new concept. Not to mention it would complicate things. When she finally found her voice she asked "So… I could… die? If I were to touch by someone's biotics?"_

_Chakwas shook her head. "Thankfully, no. It is not as simple as that. Firstly, although the muscle degeneration occurs at an accelerated rate, it is not enough to kill you or affect your ability to move. It is at a rate where the turnover is exactly equal; you will, however feel the pain and perhaps be slightly weakened, but it would not cripple you."_

"_Wait wait wait. So you're telling me that I'm going to have to go through that-" She swept a hand across her side "-excruciating pain every time someone who has a biotic barrier touches me?" This Universe certainly loved her._

_The doctor nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so."_

"_Would surgery work? Removing all the contaminated cells?"_

"_No… Unfortunately too much time has passed, the affected cells have spread too far to be removed safely."_

_Sky buried her face into her hands, trying to control her breathing and pounding heart. She had been trying to stay strong, stay positive all this while. Taken away from her home, her family, suffering through so many near-death experiences, losing Owen, seeing so much death, coming to this strange, terrifying new world. And after all that, this has to happen? How could she survive in this place if she had to go through that pain again? How could she survive the battlefield, or anywhere in fact, if she would crash to the ground in agony every time someone threw a singularity her way? Why did the fate hate her so?_

"_But I think there might be a way to overcome this… An uncertain, and very painful procedure." She waved her hand at the doctor to continue. She knew it was rude, but she was putting all her efforts into avoid falling into despair. "It seems that intense exposure to biotics will increase the resistance of your cells."_

"_Intense…?"_

_The older woman nodded once again. "Yes. Much like 'training' the cells to become immune to a disease. After subjecting your tissue to strong mass effect fields over a long period of time the rate of degeneration decreased. I believe that this same method could be done to your actual muscles. It would not cure you, but it would lessen the virus' effects on you."_

_It was as though her brain was receiving an information overload. She took a deep breath, pushing away her anxiety for another time, choosing to focus on the problem at hand. She was beginning to get very good at that, with all the practice that she had been receiving. Looking up, she took the file from the table and flipped through the doctor's notes. Most were medical gibberish, but her strong science background enabled her to understand the general gist of it. "So it would be like desensitization of the cells…"_

"_Yes. But it will be painful, more than it was to receive that wound. And again, I am not 100% certain that this will work. Throughout my entire medical career I have never come across something like this. But in theory and the experiments I have conducted, it might."_

_Pain. Pain seemed to be a large part of her life recently. Pain in her muscles, in her wounds, in her mind, in her heart. Could she really do this? Of course she wanted to try because anything would be better than having the agony jump at her at the worst moment. _

_It was not like she had a choice. She had briefly entertained the thought of opting out of following Jane to the end of the Universe... But how long would that last? The Reapers were coming whether she liked it or not. Would she find a way home before then? Did she even want to?_

"_Take your time to think about this. You can reach me via my Alliance account if you have further questions."_

_Sky nodded and walked the older woman to the door. "Thank you Doctor."_

_Chakwas just sighed, "I wished there was more I could do for you Sky. I'll try to find alternate treatments in the meantime."_

_She nodded her goodbye, before returning into the apartment and heading towards her bedroom. Jane wouldn't be home for another couple of hours. That would give her enough time to think._

_Turning off the lights and crawling into her small bed, the teenager wrapped her blanket around herself before rolling into a tight ball, suddenly feeling very small and very vulnerable to the world._

**###**

She stubbornly refused to allow the collecting tears to fall as she clamped her jaw down, resisting all urges to scream. Instead, she chose to focus on taking deep, even breaths, trying to draw away all her attention from the burning pain that engulfed her entire body.

It was a feeling that she struggled to describe. There was no one sole place where the pain came from. As the doctor had predicted so many years before, her unique 'virus' had spread to affect every single cell in her body, infecting her very DNA. But it was intense, and would be traumatic if she had not been going through this exact same process over the past 5 years.

At first her 'sessions' took place once a month, and the pain now was _nothing_ in comparison to how it was then. She remembered screaming, crying and writhing in pain until even the doctor had to stop due to fear of seriously hurting the girl. But she made her continue. With the thought of the ones who had died, and will die in the future on the forefront of her mind, she made the doctor promise to not let go of that torturous button until the time was up.

Eventually, after six long, hard sessions their efforts gave them some results. She was beginning to feel the pain a little less. Against Chakwas' protests she asked for them to meet more frequently, eventually reaching a peak of visiting the hospital once a week. But that was almost three years ago, and she has improved vastly. Now she only needed these sessions once every four months, to desensitize the newer cells.

The doctor brought the machine to a stop and ran forward to catch her patient's trembling body before she crashed to the ground, mass effect field no longer holding her weight. She did a quick check over Sky's body, making sure everything is fully functional, before assisting her gently on a cot at the corner of the room.

"Thanks doc." The weakened woman rasped as she took the bottle of energy drink that the brunette handed her. Her doctor was one of Canadian ancestry if Sky wasn't mistaken. She knew that she had graduated from some prestigious university in Vancouver that, for the life of her, she couldn't remember the name of. The pretty, pale-skinned woman shot her a small, comforting smile.

"How would you rate that session out of 10?"

Sky set the bottle down on the table next to the bed and flexed her various muscles that had been screaming in agony just minutes before. At the beginning the sudden appearance and loss of such pain disorientated her. But she had grown quite accustomed to the sensation. Either way, she was always relieved whenever they turned off the damn machine. "I'd give that a 5."

The doctor frowned, "that's strange. You were at a 3 four months ago."

The dark-haired woman sighed, and shook her head slowly. "Yeah… Distracted I suppose." Normally, she would have the ability to block out the pain better, focus on other things, but she seemed to have lost that ability over the course of the past week.

"Oh…" The young doctor reached over and squeezed her hand gently. "Are you okay?"

She turned her gaze from the white-tiled floors to the woman beside her and offered her a shaky smile in return. "I think so." She sighed as she shuffled off the bed slowly. "I just wish there was something I could do you know? But I suppose that's why I'm here."

"You know you don't have to go through all this…" The brunette waved her hand at their surroundings and Sky's eyes followed her gesture. She had to admit, if anyone were to walk in at that very moment, it would seem as though they were conducting some sort of illegal experiment.

They were currently within a medical facility located in the Tayseri ward itself, only a couple of miles away from Sky's workplace. It wasn't as grand as the hospitals on the Presidium, but it was large enough to cater to the many inhabitants within the ward.

Dr Chakwas had made this special arrangement for her, and placed her under the care of her close and trusted friend, Dr Samantha Robertson. The room was actually quite bare, tucked deep beneath the hospital where few roamed. The main bulk of the small room was taken up by a simple barrier generator, 'borrowed' from the Alliance that was supposed to erect a protective mass effect field around the user, which in her case acted more as a torture device than a shield. Still, it worked as required so she didn't have much cause to complain.

The Chinese female shook her head, "But I do…" She walked towards the barrier machine. Oh how much she hated that stupid generator. But instead of following through with her wish to destroy that offending tech, she ran a gentle hand over the simple controls. "I need to do this because it's the only thing I _can_ do."

Dr Robertson did not shift from her position but followed her movement all the same. "You're doing so much for the Citadel. Working with the people you do. Not many people would be willing to do that. I don't see why you have to-",

"We've talked about this a hundred times Doc. Nothing you say is going to change my mind." _Not with the end of the Galaxy looming over us. _"While people like Shepard are out there fighting for our lives… I just feel like I need to do more." Her head hurt, her eyes still stung from the effort of holding back the tears from before. Although she no longer felt pain, these sessions had the remarkable ability of drawing away all her strength. But if she were stronger, people wouldn't have to suffer as much. Not the way they did on Mindoir, or on Elysium.

"We've made good progress Sky. With this kind of improvement, in a couple of years, you should feel nothing but a tickle every time you get hit by a biotic… But you need to stop pushing yourself so hard."

"I can't- I need to get-"

"Sky." The usually soft voice of the brunette steeled over with the overpowering force of an authoritative figure. "You have done nothing but push yourself to the limit ever since I've met you. Don't think I don't know what you do during those crazy training sessions of yours." She sighed and walked over to her patient, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Yes, I get that you can't stand seeing people die, that you can't stand seeing people suffer. But you can't save everyone. You just have to do what you can. If you keep insisting on easing everyone's pain, you will end up killing yourself trying."

"But-"

"I'm a doctor Sky. I've seen more people die under my watch than probably anyone outside of the Alliance. I understand that need to stop the suffering. But we cannot possibly save everyone. We are not God." The doctor gripped her shoulders tightly, staring deep into her eyes, trying to will her to understand. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Please."

The black-haired girl took a small step backwards. She wasn't stupid, of course she knew she wouldn't be able to save everyone… But she wanted to. She brought her mind back to the countless dead on Mindoir, to Owen, to the people on Elysium that she was sure was suffering at this very moment. She would do anything, anything to help them, to bring them back, to see the children smile and play and laugh. But what could she do about it?

Where on earth did she get this hero complex from?

Groaning, Sky rubbed her eyes wearily. She needed some serious down time to sort out her thoughts. First the mystery man, then the news on Elysium, Rahan, and now this. She has had more drama the past five days than she has had in her entire lifetime.

The beeping of her omni-tool drew her out of her reverie. She reluctantly opened her new message, almost dreading the undoubtedly bad news it would give her. It was another from Anderson.

'_The situation is under control, the Blitz is officially over. You wouldn't believe what Shepard was able to accomplish. But she's safe and with the Alliance. Injure badly, but safe. She single handedly held things down there. We're suspecting a Star of Terra for her work. Either way, we're heading to the Arcturus station. She'll probably contact you after she's healed. – Anderson.'_

Relief crashed down onto her like a bucket of hot water. _Thank you God._

Smiling softly at Dr Robertson she finally responded. "Thank you for looking out for me doc."

The shorter woman nodded as she began to tidy up the place, "That's what I'm here for. I'll see you in a couple of months' time?"

"Will do."

**###**

**Quite a short chapter this time. I realized my previous one was more than 5K words! Insane. I never even knew I was capable of writing so much. Then again, there was too much to elaborate on. **

**I used this opportunity to explain a little more on Sky's 'condition', if you recall her strange scar from before. I thought this would be a good place to inform the audience on what was wrong with her. Let me know what you think.**

**I think this process of going through so much physical pain is important to Sky's character development. Mainly because it would explain her character. But pain is not something someone can handle, unless they are incredibly strong. Again, something I want to emphasize about Sky. Not her physical strength, but her ability to hold on. I think this would make her a great partner for Shepard as well.**

**Anyway, do let me know what you think. Whether this fits or not. I fixed some discrepancies with the previous chapters that my amazing reviewers have brought to light. Special thanks to greed11 for giving me amazing pointers.**

**But of course, Death-Dimension, Helljumper 1337, S058 and Nanobot5770 as well for reviewing. =]**

**Yes, I chose a different career path because I was thinking. This is a self insert and I couldn't imagine myself working for the police. I'm more likely to work in as a Forensic Psychologist anyway. Hahaha. So yeah. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Do let me know what you think!**

**Also, I just finished ME3 last night. I need to rant so...**

**-[[ SPOILERS SPOILERS FOR MASS EFFECT 3 AHEAD. DON'T READ IF YOU HAVE NO FINISHED THE GAME. ]]-**

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**I am SO annoyed at the ending. I mean, it is rather fitting, and I would be okay with it if this were just another story. Except they made us play through ME1 and ME2 and THEN 3 and THEN just to do what they did? I feel like all that hard work was for nothing. ASDFGHJKL. Sigh. Let me know what you think as well and maybe we can PM about it. I've got no one to talk about it to because no one has finished it yet. Sigh.**

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**-[[ SPOILERS END ]]-**

**Anyway, I hope to hear from you lot. And stay tuned for more!**


	13. Chapter 13 Back of Me

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**Chapter 13**

**Time Turner**

"I'm sorry, it appears that Ms Skylar is not at home at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?"

The turian shook his head, removing his talon from the intercom button that he had been pushing intermittently for the past ten minutes, ignoring the Vis casual 'thank you and goodbye.' Dragging his fingers through his maroon fringe he took a step back, wondering where could the psychologist be at this time.

He was not an impatient person; the many years of hard-core training made sure of that, but he deemed it too below him to stand here and _wait_. Mandibles flaring slightly with frustration, he turned around with the intention to head back to the Presidium.

The hot, blazing artificial sun caused streaks of light to reflect from his standard red and black armour, scattering pretty kaleidoscope patterns on the metallic pavement. But the turian paid them no mind, focusing on the human dragging herself towards his general direction.

He recognized her from the dossier. Skylar- just Skylar. He thought that it was strange that she had no last name. He was used to barking out surnames as though they were an order, enjoying the authority and distance it gave him. But for this human, there was no such luxury. _Skylar_; he didn't like how informal it sounded, even in his own head.

Still, her arrival meant that she saved him a separate trip to the ward.

As she neared him he could tell that there was something wrong, even by human standards. It was obvious that she was distracted, since she showed no signs of acknowledging his presence. She was dressed in a casual training outfit, hair messy and sticking in all directions with a slight limp adding to her gait and yet, she held a dreamy, satisfied smile on her face. He cocked his head, wondering if she had just finished a sparring session. Unlike most of his turian counterparts, he did not harbour a great dislike for humanity. Sure, he partially blamed them for the deaths from the First Contact War, but he did see the potential the human race offered to the galaxy as a whole. But, it did feel slightly… odd. Like the view of the woman weak and tired, yet looking so absolutely content should be a private one reserved only for herself or those close to her. He shifted his weight from one foot to the next; discomfort was not a feeling he was used to.

**###**

_Jane is going to be okay. _Sky thought to herself as she dragged her tired body towards her apartment building, thankful that it wasn't too far of a walk from the hospital. She looked longingly at the zooming cars overhead, missing the good old days of transportation actually touching the ground.

It genuinely surprised her, since she was one that really enjoyed roller coasters and such, to find that she was particularly susceptible to motion sickness when aboard the contra-gravity vehicles. She didn't have a problem in the Hastings, but discovered her inability to stomach moving tight, small spaces in her first taxi. It was rather embarrassing, but she had to make due: either by taking medication before a particularly long ride, or walking. One of the reasons why she traveled to the Presidium as little as possible, it was just easier to lounge around the ward.

Not that she minded, Sky loved where she lived. She had briefly visited two of the other five wards a couple of years back, and was genuinely surprised to find that they were not identical in structure nor aesthetics. It seemed as though each of the Citadel's 'arms' focused on different types of genres. While Kithoi concentrated on business and Shalta, development; Tayseri was the cultural epicentre of the Citadel, home to famous attractions such as the Museum of Galactic History, Gaeron Botanical Gardens, Auxua School of Arts, and the Dilinaga Concert Hall, the most prestigious of them all. The architecture here had a hint of ancient Rome and, to her elation, China. It was a strange mix between futurist metal with glass and archaic marble with stone. Before she even began working at the CCF, she had fallen in love with this particular part of the Citadel. It appealed to her artistic soul, and even though she hadn't the chance to pursue any of her other interests in a long time, it felt good to walk out every morning and marvel at the sight of the grand colosseum-resembling stadium. Sometimes, late in the day, the beautiful works of the Tayseri Philharmonic would creep through her apartment walls and soothe her to sleep. It was a wondrous privilege to have.

"I'm gonna walk five hundred miles and I'm gonna walk five hundred more." She hummed to herself happily. The past week had been extremely taxing over her emotions; the constant flitting between worry, anxiety, sadness, frustration, determination, hope, anger and back again drove her absolutely crazy. And finally, with one simple message, it was over. Despite the lethargy that emitted from her very bones, she hadn't felt this good for the longest time.

Logic told her that her adopted sister would be okay, seeing as this was nothing but a simple milestone in her entire story. But still, it was getting progressively difficult to see things objectively, not when she has developed such close ties to the blonde.

After living in this world for so many years… It was impossible for Sky to tell herself, 'no worries, this is just a story that you're stuck in'. The many sleepless nights spent on the extranet researching for ideas as to what had brought her here did nothing. Now, she no longer could think of Jane, or Anderson, or Chakwas as just 'another character', they have become as real to her as the memories of home. In fact, home was such a distant thought that it could be argued that Jane felt more like family than her real one. It was a sad, difficult, painful thought, but it was true.

So wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she wasn't alone until she collided into a very hard, very strangely shaped body.

"Oof." She let out a breath of surprise before she took a shaky step back to balance herself. Alas, her already exhausted body didn't respond fast enough and before she knew it, pain was shooting up her tailbone as she smacked butt first to the ground. Letting out a little whine of pain, she cursed her luck and glanced up at the random obstacle in her path.

Blood drained out of her already pale face when she registered the scaly, reptilian face looking down at her with dark beady eyes. Great, of all her luck, she had to hit into a turian.

It wasn't as though she harbored any particular prejudice against turians. It was just that most she had met so far really didn't really like the fact that she was human. In fact, 'dislike' would be an understatement to describe the way one would snarl at her every time she crossed their path. Perhaps they were better mannered on the Presidium, it being the political capital and what not. But down here in the wards, the hostility was startlingly obvious. She sighed, cursing fate before pushing herself to her feet.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't see you there." She wrung her fingers together, bowing her head slightly in apology.

Her expectation of a few well-placed insults was dashed with a simple: "It's fine," the unmistakable flanging voice of a turian causing shivers to go down her spine. So many years here and she still could not get used to the double bass voice of the avian species. She lifted her face to smile thankfully at the stranger, glad that for once she wouldn't be subjected to some inter-galactic species prejudice.

Curiously, she allowed her eyes to roam over the figure before her. He stood at a full foot taller than herself, face tattooed with dark maroon ink and white stripes. His military grade armour however, told her that he was here for a very specific reason. She didn't often see soldiers down in the wards aside to visit family and friends, and this one was still fully armed. Even from her limited knowledge of weaponry she spied the tip of a sniper rifle peaking out from his back. Whatever he was here for, she sure didn't want to be caught in the middle of it.

Again, nodding apologetically she moved to the side. "I'll get out of your way then."

The turian shook his large head. Ah, she knew she wasn't so lucky. "Are you Skylar?"

_Of all days. Really? Today?_ She really just wanted to get home to shower, change, and call her sister who had been the source of her distress for the past few days. Sighing, she just nodded. "Yeap, that's me. Looking for something?"

"I came here for you." The stranger glanced down the empty street, and then towards her apartment. "But perhaps we could go elsewhere to discuss this in private?"

Sky's eye narrowed in suspicion. Having come from a developing country, some habits were hard to lose, such as expecting every approach to end up with her in a compromising situation. "What is this about?"

"Your patient, Rahan."

The woman paused. Not many people knew about her work in the CCF. Once again she assessed the alien before her, taking in his strict posture and proud attitude, before nodding. This had to be something of great importance if the military was involved. Professional façade back on, Sky stood with her back straighter, weariness dispelling at the thought of Rahan being in trouble. "And who exactly are you?" she asked as she gestured at him to follow after her.

She lost her footing and stumbled at his following words: "Nihlus Kryik, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance."

**###**

_Nihlus. Nihlus Kryik. NIHLUS? What on Earth is a Spectre doing sitting on my __couch__? _The Asian woman thought frantically to herself as she forced herself to put on an outward layer of calm, sitting down on the sofa across from the Council agent.

"So… what do you need from me?"

"This is a Council matter, one that needs to be dealt with as much discretion as possible." She nodded at his words, listening carefully. Shut up and keep everything a secret, got it. "But we have a… proposal concerning one of your patients. Rahan Ikren." Her breath caught slightly at his words. Rahan's full name was not known to many, _but of course, a Spectre would be able to get that sort of information quite easily no?_ "We understand that he is to leave the CCF in a week or so and be placed in a separate prison facility."

Again, Sky just nodded, forcing herself to concentrate on the matter at hand. She was having a difficult time trying to stop herself from staring at the face of the character that she knew would die in a couple of years. She hated this feeling, this constant battle of wondering if she should say something to prevent his death, yet fearing that she would mess up _something_ should she do so. She believed that Professor McGonagall was very right to warn the Golden Trio against changing the events of time, who knows what sort of catastrophic, astronomical events could unfold from her meddling. She shook herself out of her thoughts when she caught him staring at her expectantly. Clearing her throat she confirmed his statements. "Yes, Rahan is due for transfer in two days time. What proposal is this?"

"We need an unknown person to conduct a specific mission where we cannot risk the knowledge of the Council being involved. And your drell has both the abilities and… situation to carry this out." Her eyes narrowed, immediately dubious.

"A mission… An assassination?" The turian nodded in confirmation. "What are the risks…?"

Nihlus leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he placed his head on his hands. "I won't lie to you. The chance of him returning with his life would be incredibly low."

Fury ignited within her, but she forced none of them to show as she watched the man before her cautiously. He would not have revealed such information to her if he wanted something. Her voice steeled over slowly, coldly. "So you want a guinea pig… You want someone to conduct a suicidal mission and you cannot sacrifice the lives of your precious soldiers."

The Spectre did not even seemed remotely bothered by her change of tone. "More or less, but Mr Ikren has a certain set of skills that many do not have. He is also free from the Compact, meaning he will be able to carry out orders from other hierarchies. Furthermore, he does not have any known ties to the Council."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"We are aware that Mr Ikren has a… condition that you have been attempting to cure. We need to know that your assassin will carry out his orders to the best of his ability, and not be hindered by his illness. We have reports that the treatment has been going very well, but would rather hear the fruit of it from you. Also, as his therapist, we were hoping you could give us a better insight to the success rates of the mission."

"Why would you need my say in this?" Sky frowned. If the Council really wanted Rahan to do something, they would very easily be able to go behind her back and do it. They required no official consent from her.

"Because you are his therapist and you are the best judge on his current condition. We trust that you would tell us the truth. If you believe he is not fit for such a situation, we will be forced to rely on other methods."

"What makes you think I am going to agree to this? You want to send my patient out to his death."

Nihlus leaned back casually, tilting his head to the right and stared at the woman before him curiously. He did not expect to hear the indignation in her voice, nor see it in her eyes. Could it be possible that she had come to care for the criminal? A strange, new concept, but certainly plausible. Humans were odd creatures. "It is a proposal for a reason. What he does for the Council, he will be paid back in turn."

"Such as…?"

"The drell will have years cut off his life sentence. Depending on how well he deals with the mission and the aftermath." There it went, his ace card. Now he can only hope that she would agree to this.

"Who is the target? And what is he doing this for?"

The turian shook his head, "I'm sorry. I am afraid that kind of information is confidential. Ikren will assume an unknown identity, moved to an unknown location after this is all done, to ensure that no one would find out about this. You will never be able to come into contact with him again."

Sky's eyebrows furrowed. "How do I know that you're telling me the truth then? That you're not going to kill him immediately after all this is over?"

The Spectre remained silent for a while. "You're just going to have to take my word for it, as a Spectre and a turian."

She was worn-out and her bones still ached from this afternoon's torture session. Sighing she placed her face into her hands, ignoring the fact that they were laced with dirt. And now a Spectre wanted to send one of her patients to his death. She knew that Rahan would be perfect for any assassination. That man had a 100% success rate, and personal experience told her that he would not fail at anything the Council intends for him. But she had no idea what the mission would involve, and how he would react to it, either parts of him.

To make matters worse, she was still suffering from the inner turmoil of knowing that the man before her would die in a couple of years. She totally forgot about Nihlus, his death feeling so insignificant during the game. But to actually see and talk to him, it was crazy to know that she could predict his death. The empathizer within her wanted to say something, anything. But what could she say that he would believe?

Groaning, she squeezed her eyes shut. "Would Rahan be given the choice, to accept or decline this mission?"

"Of course."

She would be a much better judge if she knew the mission perimeters, but the Spectre was stonewalling her. Looking up, she knew from his stoic stance that he would not budge on the matter. In her right mind, she would tell him Hell no and to get out of her apartment. But… Rahan could get a few years off. Plus, knowing the drell, he would only do the mission if he deemed it worthy and for a good cause. She knew that he would rather go out with a bang, than to be in confinement for his whole life anyway. Her stomach tightened and she felt sick. How was she supposed to make this sort of decision?

"Well..." She found herself saying. "If this job is a quick in-and-out assassination, there is no one more suited for this than him."

Nihlus nodded, before standing up swiftly. "Thank you very much for your input."

"Wait." She stood up as well, stopping him from leaving. "Can you let me know when the mission is done? If he succeeded or not."

The turian stared down at her, but she ignored his towering presence, fixing a strong, hard glare in return. Finally his mandibles shifted slightly as his posture relaxed. "I can make no promises. But depending on the situation… I'll try."

Sky nodded slowly. "Alright. Thank you."

Perhaps she should have said something more, told him about Saren, or at least warned him to make the next few years count. But by the time she sorted through her thoughts, he was gone.

And that was the last she saw of the white and maroon tattooed Spectre.

**###**

**A bit sad really, predicting Nihlus' death. But I do want to stick to the cannon as much as possible. A little sneak peak into the future I suppose. Aha, I am still unsure if that was a very smart idea. But whichever, what is done is done. =]**

**I just wanted to show a little bit of her reaction to meeting a character that she knew would die in the future. Show her stance a little bit. But of course, to her, Nihlus is still just another person, plus her doctor in the previous chapter did try to stem her hero-complex. Either way, we'll see what happens when the events of ME1 actually start.**

**I think that is going to happen in about 2 chapters time. Enough back story if you ask me, time to get into the real thick of it. **

**And for all those who think I might make her side wound some weird mutated power. Don't worry it will not. My character is no Mary Sue! Or at least, I'm trying to make sure she doesn't become one. =P But yeah, a very genetically strange, painful wound, but that is all it would do to her, cause her alot of pain and distress. Sucks huh?**

**Thank you Liege Lord, Nanobot5770, Helljumper 1337, greed11, Generator X, S058 and Death-Dimension for your input, compliments and criticisms. I especially love those of you who have given me much food for thought. Especially about the pairings. Remember a while back when I said I know who I'm going to pair who to? I lied. Now I'm even more confused. Aha, but we'll see where this wind takes us.**

**-[[ MASS EFFECT 3 SPOILERS! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED IT! ]]-**

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**I read Thane's letter to Shepard after he died if you romance him in ME2 and 3. Holy shit, I was depressed for about half the day. It was actually, really sad. =[ =[ Still can't believe they killed both him and Mordin off. Asdfghjkl. My own fault for forming such deep affections for them I suppose. But still.**

**Also, I've signed the petition for a new FREE DLC for the ending. Also, a very interesting video to watch to all those disappointed ones out there:**

**http:/www (dot) youtube (dot) com/watch?v=4H_A7SeawU4&feature=share**

**Yeapp, I'm still annoyed at the ending. But it seems like I'm not the only one... So I don't feel too bad. Hopefully, bioware WILL make another ending.**

**ALSO. I am looking for some PC ME3 players to play coop with. Anyone interested just PM me. Maybe I can join a group... or we can make our own? Anyway, if you're interested in someone who only played up till Hardcore (I couldn't handle Insanity) do let me know.**

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**-[[ SPOILERS END ]]-**

**Anyway, I hope y'all will stay tuned for the next chapter. Do let me know what you think, etc. I always, always want to hear from you guys.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**ps. Helljumper 1337 introduced me to a veeerry interesting site: http:/ tvtropes (dot) org/pmwiki/pmwiki (dot) php/Main/MarySue If you're writing a fic yourself, I suggest you go check it out. It was a very interesting and enlightening read.**

**xx**


	14. Chapter 14 Drumrolls

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**Chapter 14**

**And so it is...**

"-and yet in the darkest hours are where most of us find our greatest strengths. With that said I would like to present this Star of Terra, an award bestowed only to the most courageous and dedicated, to those that go above and beyond their line of duty to protect innocent lives without regards to their own, to the War Hero of Elysium, Staff Lieutenant Jane Amelia Shepard."

There was a deafening roar of applause as the blonde stood up and walked confidently towards the podium. Despite her limp, the formally attired Shepard looked the epitome of a perfect soldier: smart, beautiful and professional. Her long hair was combed back into a neat, tight bun while her polished uniform shone underneath the great lights. She shook hands with the Admiral and the Prime Minister, both uttering words of congratulations before the Prime Minister pinned the medal to her chest. As both men saluted her, the crowd went wild. Sky could see a small, but proud smile grace her sister's face before she returned the salute.

"Are you watching what I think you're watching?"

The dark-haired woman paused the recording with her omni-tool and the image of Jane's triumphant grin froze on the wide screen. Tearing her attention away from the heart-warming sight, she quickly hopped off her couch and jogged towards the hologram of the Alliance's newest hero. Grinning, Sky stepped into the metal round platform that she knew would transmit her own silhouette to the communication hub on the Arcturus station. "Jane!" she cried out in relief.

The hologram was not perfect, but it gave her enough to identify the blonde's new outfit. Whistling appreciatively, she had to admit, she was impressed; rank did have a great impact after all. Her new armor fit her better, and paired with the contrasting stark white and pitch black the soldier appeared larger, stronger and far deadlier than before. Raising her eyes, she took in the newer collection of scars and bruises that decorated her sister's tanned skin. Sky frowned at the split lip and the dark bruises that dusted her jaw line. Strange, she didn't notice the injuries in the news report. "Sky." Jane greeted, "good to see a friendly face."

"Thank God you're okay. You had me worried sick there."

"Yeah… Sorry." Jane grinned sheepishly as she dragged her gloved fingers through her hair. "The past few days have been crazy."

The shorter woman shook her head at the apology, dismissing it immediately. "It's fine. I had a feeling that the Alliance would need to enjoy their new 'Staff Lieutenant'. Congratulations at the promotion by the way."

"Thank you." Although the younger woman tried not to show it, Sky coud tell that she was positively beaming. "But 'enjoy' would be a bad way to put it. Didn't managed to get to you until now. Which by the way, was surprisingly easy. Why did you leave you channel open? Have you forgotten how to program-"

"Come on, I'm not that bad!" She ignored Jane's deadpanned looked. "Plus, for your information, I left it open, on purpose. You're the only one that reaches me through this line anyway."

The blonde sighed. "'Again, sorry, As soon as I was ready for action they booted me out of bed and had me running about till now. Oh how I hate politics."

"Who doesn't? They seemed to have been in dire need for a poster human. And you're it."

"I hate trying to act all perfect… But anyway, they intend to ship me off tomorrow. I'll spare you the details since I don't have much time anyway." She leaned backwards, as though assessing some unknown situation behind her that Sky could not discern. "You would think that being declared a 'Hero' would earn me some down time."

She laughed, _if only you knew half of it_. If Jane expected 'down time' for anything, she is in for a huge surprise in the coming years. "How are you bubs? I know things must have been rough down there."

Anyone would have missed the slight dimming of light in her sister's eyes, but not Sky, she was after all, an expert on behaviour. Her heart clenched slightly at Jane's forced smile. "It was no easier than Mindoir, I give you that. But we all pulled through." The dark-haired woman nodded, urging her to continue. "I did everything I could to save everyone, but we both know that everything is often not enough… But I'll be alright."

"I know you will. You're strong Jane, stronger than anyone I know." Oh how she wished she could reach across the Universe to grasp her hand. "And you did what you could. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks mom." Sky thanked all the higher powers above when she saw the sadness slowly diffusing from those breath-taking purple eyes. She was sure a lot happened down there, but even though the soldier looked understandably upset, she could tell that the she was going to be okay. Maybe it wasn't nearly as traumatic as she thought it would have been. Or maybe Sky just greatly underestimated her strong heart. Either way, she still counted her lucky stars.

After all, there had to be a reason why the 'War Hero' option gave them extra paragon points in the game.

"I watched that recording of your award ceremony almost 10 times."

"I had a feeling you would. You're such a worry-wart." Despite her chastising, the affection was clear in her voice. "How is work for you?"

"Same old, same old. I don't want to waste time talking about me though, we can-"

"Sorry hold on." The blonde interrupted as she disappeared from view. The older woman sighed, and crossed her arms. "Okay back, sorry about that. Like I said, it is rather crazy around here."

Sky smiled gently, shaking her head. "You have to go?"

"Yeah…" Jane said regretfully. "We have a briefing session… But I'll send you a message alright?"

"A good, long, detailed one?"

The soldier laughed, "I promise."

"Okay good. Take care of yourself sweetheart. Don't do anything stupid."

"Will try my best. Love you."

"Love you too." And with that, the fuzzy 3D image of her sister flickered and vanished.

Sky stood there for a moment, staring into empty space, before walking over to her study almost mechanically, toes digging into the warm carpeted floor. Sitting down at her desk she pulled out a pair of colored books from her locked safe hidden behind the drawer.

When she first got into this world, it occurred to her that it would probably be a good idea to record down all she knew about Mass Effect 1 and 2. After all, who knew how long she would be stuck here, she wanted to ensure that memory degeneration would be the least of her problems. She did not have all the information, having forgotten almost everything but the most basic of facts in ME1, but she made up for it in bulk with her knowledge on ME2. The timelines were a little messy and so were the finite details, but whatever she knew six years ago was stored in the little yellow book. All she could do was hope that the hardcover would never fall into the wrong hands.

The second one, however, were full of scribbles and ideas on what she could do to prepare for the events of the trilogy. As she flipped through the pages now she could see the many ideas that she drew up, edited, only to discard after a few weeks of contemplation. But the six years did give her a lot of things to think about and she managed to come up with a solid list of 'things-to-do'. She knew that Shepard was around 30, give or take two years, when the geth hit Eden Prime. Given that the blonde was now 23, that gave her about five to six years before the action truly begins.

Sky didn't know if she was excited or nervous. But the prospect of the 'true story' beginning in such a short amount of time was rather overwhelming.

Jittery with anticipation she quickly committed the first few plausible items on her list to memory, before leaning down to return her little secret holders back into their hiding place. But at the last second, she opened her the yellow one and jolted down very quickly in Chinese:

_Year 2176 - Mystery Man _

She wasn't sure if she was ever going to see the Alliance marine any time soon, but she certainly hoped so.

Locking her safe she brought her mind back to the present.

Five years, ten items. Should be simple enough.

**###**

Year 2183

Lord she felt old.

To be technical, she was actually 188 years old. But still, she couldn't believe she biologically turned 30 this year, the big three-oh. Oh how age was catching up with her…

But as she leaped over the metallic cover, muscles stretching and flexing fluidly to her will, she knew that she was kidding herself. Sure thirty did felt like a large number, but it definitely had nothing to do with her physical abilities.

Hitting the ground, she rolled and was on her feet within seconds, not even pausing for a breath. Heavy perspiration rolled down her taunt face as she expertly swerved to avoid the rocket that was heading her way. The projectile hit the location where she had been moments before, blasting the weak metal into pieces, but the force of the blast did nothing to stall her momentum. She charged straight into the enemy's encampment, halting sharply right before the first mech and placed her pistol beneath it's head before pulling the trigger. She grinned as circle of red light flickered and died, and before its two partners could return fire she was gone. The dead mech exploded, throwing the two other robots down at the same time. As the synthetics attempted to get back on their feet she reappeared seemingly out of thin air, a bullet into the centre of each light, and boom, they were gone.

Laughing, Sky took a couple of steps back. That was the last of them. Wiping the sweat from her brow she breathed in deeply to calm her adrenaline filled heart.

"And they told me you're a psychologist."

Caught unaware the slim fighter spun around, gun up and aimed at the head of newcomer. The pistol was filled only with practice slugs of course, but Sky had been hit by a couple of them before, and they _hurt_. Registering the face of the man before her she grinned and holstered her favourite weapon on her back, before bounding up gleefully towards him.

"Anderson!" She called out, before hugging the older man. Since she left her 'surrogate family' at 18, Anderson was the closest thing she had to a father in this world. He was her teacher, trainer and motivator all at the same time. She smiled at his familiar cider scent. Screw being 30, she was going to act like a child whenever she saw fit.

The dark-skinned man returned her hug briefly, before pulling away. "Sky. It's good to see you." He then raised an eyebrow at the mess around them. They were currently in one of the few Alliance training facilities on the Citadel. To be more specific, they were in one of what _used to be_ one of the few training facilities, assuming the otherworldly woman did not just destroy all of their training mechs. "You're lucky that I gave you lease to use this place." He shook his head at the destruction. "What did you do? Set them on the highest level all at once?"

Sky shrugged. "What can I say? I was bored."

"Well…" He responded dryly. "Next time go read a book."

She grinned cheekily. Already a few of the not-too-badly-damaged mechs were coming back online, although most were beyond repair. The techies were going to have a field day with this one. She was sure they would be happy to know that she had come to the conclusion that this place no longer held any challenges for her and this would be her last session here. Speaking of which, she had better get out of their reach before they attempted to kill her again. "Come on, let's go somewhere to talk."

The pair chatted as they strolled through the Presidium. It has been a long time since she saw her favourite Captain, but the past six years flew by so fast that it still felt like just yesterday when they were having lunch to celebrate his promotion.

"I must say… You've improved." Anderson chuckled as he leaned onto the railing overlooking the large fountain.

"You were watching?" She hadn't heard him coming in and she was extremely astute when in 'battle mode'. Were her senses failing her now?

"No. I wasn't. But you did leave quite an impressionable mess behind."

Sky bit her lower lip, trying not to smile too widely at his compliment. She had come a long way indeed.

Perhaps the one thing she was most grateful for was being given ample time to prepare herself. She shuddered to think how difficult her life would be had she appeared in this Mass Effect world any later. Thirteen years of hard work: training, studying, working, making connections. Life back in her own 'reality' felt… like a dream, like a blurred memory that she was totally detached from. Of course, she constantly reminded herself that she still had to find a way home, find answers; but as each day passed, as she conformed to the norms and values of the society here… Well, let's just say she was in no hurry to leave.

The sixteen years old her was still inside somewhere. But she was no longer that skinny, weak girl that she once was. Nope, she was now a full-fledged adult. An adult that, she proudly admitted, was able to kick a substantial amount of ass.

"What are you doing back on the Citadel anyway? Did the Alliance finally give you some shore leave?"

The Captain barked out a laugh. "Alliance? Leave? Never. I'm just here to pick up some data from the Council before I'm back on the Arcturus station."

"Must be some important data if the great Captain David Anderson has to come all the way here to get it himself. Want to divulge what this all-important information could be?" She nudged his shoulder slightly, showing that she was joking around.

"I wish I could Sky. Now if only you were a soldier…"

The dark-haired girl faked a frown. "Both you and Jane were so against me becoming one so many years ago."

"Maybe we underestimated you…"

Sky laughed and shook her head. "It's fine. I like my life. I'm glad you guys stopped me. I'm very happy with where I am and who I've become."

"Good… And how is your sister?" He asked kindly, turning to look at her.

"Doing well, I think. I haven't spoken to her in a while actually. You know you soldier types, so busy doing Lord-knows-what that you don't have time for family." She ended her sentence with a pout.

Anderson rolled his eyes at her bad attempt for sympathy and continued, "So she hasn't told you yet?"

"Told me… what exactly?"

"We've been assigned to a new ship, and she is going to be my second-in-command. A new frigate, the SSV Normandy-"

Anderson continued talking, but Sky had stopped responding. Her heart pounded like a battle drum in her ears and all she could hear was this new information going in loops in her brain.

Normandy. Normandy. Normandy.

Sky gulped.

Holy crap.

**###**

**Very short chapter, I realized. But I have been having this in my head for the past few days and I just had to get it out. No worries, I promise you a good long one for the next one. It will fully explain what Sky has been up to for the past 6 years, etc. etc. I know there was a reaaally big time jump (again) but I did warn you, I want to get to the events of ME1 as soon as possible.**

**Anyway, it is haaaapppeeniiiingg. Finally. To be honest, I did not expect my story to take THIS long to get to this point. I don't know... Am I rushing this too much? What do you think? Does it flow okay?**

**Thank you all for your comments, reviews, for reading and subscribing. I apologize again for that random upload, but the site was being a little weird, but anyway all is good now.**

**Nanobot5770 - Yes she would. Aha, this wouldn't much be an ME SI if she didn't. But yeah, I do see what you mean. But again, if I raaandomly appeared in the ME world, I would SO join the Normandy. =P Soon soon. =D**

**greed11 - You are absolutely right. I tweaked the previous chapter, added a paragraph about details on the ward. It's not much because I didn't have enough knowledge about the Citadel to make sound architectural comments. I myself can't even imagine what it might look like. But do check it out if you have the time? **

**Also Generator X, S058, Liege Lord, ExploitingReality and Helljumper 1337, thank you for your continuous support. Honestly, it is because of you guys I can find the will to keep writing.**

**Oh and about Rahan...? I guess you're just going to have to stay tuned to see. ;]**

**Erm, I also tried out the ME3 multiplayer today. You're right, pretty fun. But I'm a vanguard player, and I love getting up close and personal with the handy shotgun. It sucks to play a vanguard at such a low level though. =[ Sigh. AND I'm sorry to disappoint (I'm assuming here) but I can't play with any of you guys because I share accounts with my brother. =[**

**HOWEVER, I am always up for a little rant session, or just to talk, or anything with anyone. =] So do PM me whenever.**

**Woah, long author's note. I have GOT to stop doing that. I swear it takes up half of my 'words'.**

**Until next time.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**ps. I'M GOING TO CALIFORNIA FOR UNIVERSITY!**


	15. Chapter 15 This Is It

_Thoughts, Flashbacks and Dream sequences are in Italics_

**###**

**Chapter 15**

**The Real Prologue**

Sky sat, cross-legged on the floor in the middle of her living room, eyes roaming over the various furniture, decorations and trinkets she had collected over the years of staying on the Citadel. There were few words that could describe the sort of emotions running through her, but nostalgia was the probably the most eminent one. She recalled the excitement when she first got this apartment, almost ten years ago. The apartment building itself was one of the shortest in the vicinity, being only seven stories high and she was lucky enough to get hold of one on the top floor. She remembered walking into the bare, gloomy place, leaving a trail of footprints through the thin layer of dust and breathing in the musty air. The previous owner was a spacer, having bought the apartment but never really living in it. Over the course of the next few months, she designed, bargained over and procured numerous items that she deemed worthy for her first, and only personal living space thus far. At the end of six and a half weeks she stood back to marvel at her art piece, admiring everything from the purple carpeted flooring to the deep velvet blacked out curtains, from the light brown leather couch to the maroon satin sheets that covered her queen sized bed, each hand picked to suit her preferences. She was a comfort-over-style type of person, opting to fill the spaces with bean bags and love seats rather than plastic chairs and metallic shelves. Very hippie-like, and she loved it.

And sure her tastes had changed over the course of ten years, evident through the variation in deco, and the leather and wood were no longer as spotless nor perfect as they once were, but there was no where else she could call home, no where else she felt more at ease.

It was rather... sad to say goodbye.

Gathering her wits together she focused on the task at hand. Before her sat two trusty notebooks, both still in excellent condition, having made sure to handle them with care. She left the yellow one aside for now and picked up the red hardcover. Skipping to the last page, she removed the cap of her pen with her teeth, and scanned through the list of ten items before her. She couldn't help but congratulate herself at the same time for having thought of this ingenious idea, she knew those 9gag posts and day dreams about preparing for the zombie apocalypse would come in handy one day. Meh, zombies, reapers, small difference really.

Eight dates that represented the day she finished each task were carefully imprinted next to the respective items. The first one read:

_1) Biotic Resistance: 29__th__ March 2181_

"_So are you ready for this?"_

_Sky smiled uncertainly at the pretty doctor as she took her place in front of the offending machine, heart pounding with anticipation. Turning her head towards the brunette she nodded, giving her the go. "As ready as I'll ever be."_

_It took a moment for the biotic generator to boot up, there was a sound of something being fired and the dark-haired woman found herself being lifted off the ground, pretty purple light surrounding her completely._

_Forcing herself to remain calm, she allowed her mind to relax as a slow, tickling sensation began to occur all over. She tried explaining the feeling to Dr Robertson once, but it never stuck. Unlike all that she had ever experienced, this wasn't just skin-deep, no, she felt it all the way down to the very core of her bones, to her soul. She was thankful though, the many years of repeated torture paid off, it had been almost two years since she screamed during one of her sessions, and she could not have been gladder for it. She would never forget the pain of course, that sort of experiences left a scar far larger than the one that caused this whole thing in the first place. Agony changed her, and the memories ensure that she stayed that way._

_As she counted down the seconds in her mind the sensation intensified and started to become sharper; not really painful per say but more like little electric shocks that brushed over and inside of her. 'Pins and needles' were the words she was looking for._

_Seconds became minutes that seemed to stretch on forever, but the pain never hit. Grinning to herself, she flexed her muscles and stretched her limbs, and still all she felt were static shocks. When her doctor finally stopped the machine she landed on the metal grate on the balls of her feet, before standing up straight and laughing._

"_We did it!" She cried in joy as she rushed towards the brunette, hugging the petite woman in her arms. "Thank you thank you thank you." They had come to this point a while back and opted to wait for one year to see if the virus would once again take hold. She knew that they would never manage to get rid of it, but today's session proved that they have at least helped her build some sort of resistance._

_The good doctor smiled back, obvious relief playing out across her features. "I know. It's amazing. Wait till Karin hears about this, she will be ecstatic!"_

"_Thank you so much doc, for your time and efforts and everything."_

"_It's fine Sky." She replied fondly, pulling out of her arms as she gripped the excitable woman's arm. "I am just glad that we finally got to this point."_

Oh how amazing she felt that day, to know that she would no longer have to suffer through the excruciating agony should she have to face a biotic. She spent a bomb celebrating that night on food and drinks for Dr Robertson and herself, thankful that being a psychologist paid very well. Of course she would still have to be careful, since the any damaging biotic power was sure to have an even more devastating effect on her. She made a mental note that if- no, _when_ she joined up with Jane on the Normandy, she would have to take out the biotics first.

Cracking her knuckles, she focused on the next item on the list:

_2) Rahan: 28__th__ December 2176_

_Sky slammed her hands on her desk in frustration. She had sent countless of messages to this stupid Nihlus Kryik over the past eight months and still there was no response. Growling, she was beginning to wonder if she made the wrong call to put Rahan under his care; Lord she was prepared to tear her hair out._

_If she wanted to be honest, she knew that anger wasn't the main emotion coursing through her, but worry and guilt. She swallowed thickly as once again the million possible scenarios ran through her head. Was he already dead? If he were, was it due to the mission or was that Spectre the one that pulled the trigger? God she-_

_Her ranting was cut off by the familiar beeping sound of her omnitool just as she was about the curse the turian halfway to Hell. Scrambling for her discarded arm piece on the sofa she opened the message._

"_It's done, he's safe, ten years off. Now stop bothering me with your incessant messages. – Nihlus."_

_She crumbled onto the couch in relief. Thank the Lords. She quickly composed a reply:_

"_You better not be lying to me. But thanks."_

_As an afterthought she added, "Quote of the Day: "Don't turn your back on your friends."" He was going to find her damn weird but that was the best and most she dared to do to warn him. She wasn't sure what she would be able to accomplish by telling him that, but she hoped for a chance that her words would hit him on Eden Prime._

Right, Nihlus. Wow, she really had to work on her memory, having completely forgotten about the Spectre after so long. Thinking about it now she realized that she had really, _really _changed since then. Guilt used to be her constant companion: for those that will be harmed in the future, for those that were harmed in the past, and for those that she could do nothing to help. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how she chose to look at it, the past six years had changed her attitudes significantly. Sure she still did her best to do what she could for the people that needed her help, but she no longer carried around that monster truck of self-condemnation. Even though it was quite a paradox, she couldn't help but feel relieved. Either way, she was glad that she learnt to distance herself from the events that she knew she would not be able to change.

Sky sighed. Poor Nihlus...

_3) Quit Job: 7__th__ October 2182_

_Dahlia walked into her room, shutting the door behind her before dumping a pile of datapads on her desk. Sky looked up and smiled gratefully, "thank you for getting these." Putting down the one she had in her hand, she reached out to pick the first pad off the pile._

_Instead of walking back out as Sky had expected, the Caribbean woman sat unceremoniously onto the metal chair opposite her, not saying a word as she stared at her superior of eight years. The fully qualified psychologist raised an eyebrow at her assistant's strange behaviour._

"_I know we're not supposed to say anything, but I'm really, really going to miss you." Ah and there was that strong Barbados accent._

_Sky smiled kindly, "I'll still be around the Citadel Dahlia, we will definitely meet up and catch up once in a while."_

"_But still," the poor woman sounded downright miserable, "it won't be the same."_

_She was right, it wouldn't. In the office Dahlia and herself always had that sort of mentor-trainee relationship. She would always pick up after her mess, chastise her gently for it, before correcting her. But her assistant had grown in leaps and bounds and she could not have been more proud, so she chose to tell her exactly that._

"_I know, but you've come so far, you'll do perfectly fine. I have a feeling you're up for a promotion sometime next week."_

"_But I don't want it! I'll be horrible at it." The dark-skinned woman threw her arms up in horror._

"_You will be fine. I'm sure of it. Just be confident in your own abilities." Sky said encouragingly. Turning her attention back to her work, she added a few more details in the datapad she just picked up, before leaning back and letting out a huge sigh. "Done."_

_Dahlia raised an eyebrow. "So you gonna go tell the Bossman now?"_

_The psychologist grinned before standing up. "Hell yes. You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment."_

"_I'm not surprised. That salarian is certainly something." Despite her exuberant tone of voice, her assistant still looked like she was about to cry._

_Sky leaned back slightly in contemplation before an idea came to mind. "How about this, after all this is done, we'll go out for drinks. To celebrate the termination of my contract."_

_Dahlia's face lit up instantly. "Okay! Go give him hell."_

_Taking one last look at her office space, she bid an easy farewell to the cramped, yet strangely bare room. This place had been her life for far too long and she grew tired of the same yellow tiled floor and meager furniture. It was a good time to go._

"_Oh I will."_

Thinking about that moment now it still brought an ear-splitting smile to her face. She could still see, with perfect clarity, the look of shock and indignation in Odra's face when she told him she wanted to quit. Having settled all her obligations before hand he had no choice but to let her go, much to his displeasure. It didn't really matter to her, she always disliked that man.

As for her assistant, she had done a lot in the past six months and really stepped up to the plate. People change when their responsibilities shift, so it didn't surprise her to find out that the Caribbean woman could be highly efficient when she wanted to be. She still kept in touch with Dahlia, meeting up for drinks every once in a while. Being her mentor was possibly one of the best things she had ever done, she was extremely proud of her.

_'Paragon points for me then.' _She thought cheekily.

Shifting her gaze to the next three on the list:

_4) Outfit: August 2178_

_5) Weapons: November 2182_

_6) Cloaking: 18__th__ December 2180_

In chronological order, she had managed to cross out the label 'outfit' first. While most of her tasks were quite practical, this was the least important of them all, and yet the most fun. She knew that if she was to travel around the universe she had to find at least one suitable uniform that she could kick ass in. Training gear just wouldn't match up to Miranda's sexy catsuit, nor Jack's lack there of. Forgive the vainer parts of her, but she wanted to look equally cool, and well, after so many years of being stuck in that butt-ugly white thing that she wore to work everyday, she needed a change.

Unfortunately, Sky was no fashionista and she had no idea where to start. So she acquired help from Yaz. The end results were… surprisingly pleasing.

She had provided the redhead a criterion for her outfit. She wanted it to convey professionalism, strength, and power all while giving her the ability to move however way she wanted, without making her look like a hooker, together with a 'don't ask, don't say' policy. She was extremely worried when her friend first waltzed through her door, the 'perfect thing' wrapped in layers and layers of plastic, but Yaz delivered, courtesy of the black market, in a way that she never expected.

First there was a layer of thin, black under armor that, don't ask her how, was able to regulate both temperature and moisture. By itself it resembled a playsuit, strapless with a deep v-neck and ending just at her ankles, it also came with a pair of long fingerless black gloves that was made out of the same material. Above this she wore an almost trench-coat resembling piece of beige armor with shoulder guards and long tight dark brown pants with reinforced shields. Strapped to her right thigh was a holster for her trusty weapon. Finally, Yaz wrapped everything up with knee length combat boots and a pair of dark grey gloves with titanium plating on her knuckles. Looking in the mirror, she was startled at how much she resembled one of her favourite characters, Lightning, from Final Fantasy XIII mixed with Liara's doctor mien. After thanking her friend profusely and handing over the (very large) sum of credits over, Yaz just winked and told her to play safe, before heading out.

Oh how much she loved that girl.

With her outfit all planned out she was able to carry through with the next item on her agenda, cloaking.

She originally got this idea from Kasumi in ME2. Sky had always been a silent fighter. Unlike Jane who preferred shotguns and catastrophic biotic powers, she liked to be in and out of danger within seconds: wear down the opponent with enough nimble, quick strikes and they would eventually give out. She admired the thief's shadow strike ability and hoped that she would be able to somehow achieve that same effect. Lucky for her, nanotechnology had vastly improved over the past 150 years.

With enough research, she found a place that would be able to weave the molecular strands through her outfit that provide her with extra protection and the cloaking ability. Unfortunately, the cloak worked by drawing energy normally used to power her shields, leaving her intensely vulnerable. Furthermore, if she were to move too fast, you could still make out a flicker of movement, but as long as she was careful, she would effectively be invisible, still a plus in her opinion. This was what she used during her little 'training session' with the mechs three days ago.

As for the fifth item on the list, 'weapons', Sky already knew she was a pistol person from the start. One thing she realized that the game failed to mention was how the _weight_ of a weapon might affect a soldier's performance and Lord did those shotguns drag her down. She carried a Stiletto Pistol III and that was it. The whole shaving-metal-for-bullets thing was quite a brilliant discovery in her opinion. She still brought an extra block of ammunition just in case, but the almost infinite amount of ammo was amazing. Plus, with the way she fought she never really had to be afraid of her weapon overheating. She could only hope they wouldn't be switching to thermal clips anytime soon.

The seventh item made her all the more ecstatic to be living in Tayseri.

_7) Museum of Galactic History: 31__st__ July 2180_

The large library connecting to the Museum was an almost never-ending source of information about all the known galactic species that resided within Council space and beyond. There was so much of every race's history, in the form of actual books, to downloadable content. It was rather insane. Needless to say for the better part of whatever time off she had from work was spent in said library, reading and researching all about the other species. After all, the first step to understanding someone is to know their history. Had it just been typical, normal human history, Sky would have given up ages ago. But to learn about the asari, turian, salarian, elcor, batarian and so many more… Well, let's just say she did not really need much extra motivation to hit the books every other day.

Moving along, agenda 8 was somewhat interesting:

_8) Diary: 8__th__ April 2176_

This was the first task she began. The one thing she probably missed the most was writing during her spare time and so she decided to start a diary. She made an effort to fill it in at least once a week and have been doing so ever since. After all, some details were too important to forget. It woud definitely come in handy sooner or later.

_9) Training:_

Next to this item she carefully inscribed the date, 4th of February 2183. Three days ago was the day that she officially deemed herself good enough to join the Normandy crew.

Leaning back to rest against the leather sofa she took a deep breath as she welcomed the huge sense of accomplishment.

If someone were to have said to her, 13 years ago, "Sky, you are going to be able to fight for real in the future, including guns, brass knuckles and all that shiz." She would have scoffed and laughed, replying that although she dearly wished for it to come true, it wasn't going to happen. And yet here she was, stronger, faster and deadlier than she had ever thought possible. She loved the feeling.

But it did not come easy, that was for sure. Dr Sarah Robertson was right to describe her training sessions as 'difficult', although perhaps 'insane' and 'bloody stupid' would fit the bill better. She worked out everyday, mostly cardio to increase her stamina and agility. She focused on toning her various muscles, instead of mass since she needed to be quick and lithe rather than strong. She spent years perfecting her marksmanship, noting that she had a gift with accuracy even back on Mindoir. When she was eighteen she used to think, exercise? Are you crazy? But now she understood how her friends were able to go to the gym everyday. There was just something so addictive about listening to your muscles scream in protest while your heart just pushes for more, something great about finding yourself able to run faster, for longer, than ever before. And the thrill of a fight? Oh there was nothing greater.

Yeap, being in this world had officially turned her into an adrenaline junkie.

It wasn't as though she had much choice in the matter anyway. When she first arrived she knew there were two clear options before her: Live a normal life, forget all about being actively involved in the events of the Mass Effect trilogy, and just... well... enjoy herself; or get her ass in gear, ensure that she would be fit and skilled enough so that requesting to board the Normandy wouldn't just be a big fat joke and do everything she could to make her beloved sister's life easier. Unsurprisingly, she chose the latter. Back home she used to imagine, all the time, _how amazing would it be if I found myself in that story? _In fact, an innumerable amount of time were spent wandering through the halls of Hogwarts, capturing Pokemon and falling in love with Dr House. What could she say? She had an overactive imagination and felt sad at the thought of how none of that would ever, ever happen. Yet here she was now, living in the heart of another Universe. There was no way in Hell she was going to skip out on it, no matter how painful, hard, or dangerous the next few years were going to be.

Last but not least, the final thing she had to do before she could really say she was ready for anything, was to go through all 127 pages of information she had on Mass Effect. Sighing, she moved from her location on the floor to her comfortable sofa and began reading. It was going to be a long night.

_There were people screaming in the background. Inhumane, heart-wrenching wails of agony that tore at her heart. Instinctively she tried to move towards the sound, needing to help those in pain, but she found that she couldn't move, she was paralyzed._

_There was a flash, and the scene before her melts into focus, there were shadows of people running, crying in helplessness, she couldn't make out what from._

_Another flash, but she couldn't understand what she was seeing, pipes and wires and a dark red sky. More images flicker before her eyes, too fast for her to understand. More crying and something that resembled flesh was being ripped into half, more desperation._

_A high pitch whistle tore through her head and she felt like her brain was going to split open. She tried to cover her ears but she still couldn't move. The more she struggled, the louder the whistle became._

_There wasn't even time to think, to panic before her vision flashed white and-_

Sky crashed to the ground, shoulder smacking the floor with a loud thud. She groaned and curled into a ball, cradling her pounding head. What the hell was that?

Blurrily she stumbled into the kitchen and reached blindly for a painkiller before dry swallowing it. Crumbling to the tiled floor, she placed her head between her knees and rested her forehead against the cool surface. Ah the marvels of modern medicine, it only took seconds it to work and the room stopped swaying. In the background, she could hear the beeping of a message coming into her private terminal.

Okay, now what exactly just happened? She shuddered at the memory of the cries of agony- that was rather disturbing.

Thinking back, she must have fallen asleep reading her little information booklet, therefore that little segment must have been a dream. A very weird, very real dream.

Yet, there was a sense of familiarity there, like she had seen those images before, just couldn't remember when and where. Groaning, she hated not being able to understand something fully. Shaking her head she slowly shuffled back to the living room. That wasn't just some ordinary dream.

Reaching her desk she opened the most recent message marked 'urgent'. She had to read the words twice over before it fully took hold in her mind.

_From: Jane Shepard_

_Hey sis, we'll be at the Citadel in 8 hours. Meet us at the Presidium?_

Scrambling for her omnitool she quickly flipped to the news, "-we are still unsure of the number of survivors on Eden Prime-"

Woah. Woah. Woah. Why were things happening so fast? She didn't remember- oh screw this.

Dream momentarily forgotten Sky was quick to pack away her things, locking up her notebooks in their respective places before jumping into the shower and equipping herself. She had enough time yesterday to go through everything leading up to Noveria, so she knew with startling clarity that Jane's time on the Citadel was going to be _pretty _interesting. To be honest, she was most excited about meeting Wrex.

It was show time.

**###**

**Emigawd, can I just say, this chapter was SERIOUSLY taxing.**

**Does the whole timeline thing confuse you? If it does this is what happened chronologically:**

**Diary**

**Response from Nihlus about Rahan**

**Outfit planning with Yaz**

**Research on Galactic History**

**Cloaking**

**Biotic Resistance**

**Leaving the CCF**

**Getting her Pistol**

**Finishing Training**

**Rereading Events**

**So anyway, finally the events of ME1 can begin. Honestly I did not know it would take me almost 45K words to get to this point. Do not worry though if you still have questions about Sky's past, FLASHBACKS!**

**How did you find this chapter? Do let me know what you think please, especially for this chapter because this is after all when things begin. I'm going to take a few days off writing to really think about the coming events and how I am going to write it. Plus, i want to tweak some things to add more detail in the previous chapters.**

**I am actually quite uncertain with the way I handled this chapter. But what do you think of the whole thing thus far? We've reached a turning point I believe. **

**Anyway, hope to see y'all soon. =]**

**Thank you Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, S058, greed11 and Nanobot5770 for reviewing. I really do appreciate your words. **

**Helljumper 1337 - Is that sufficient enough in detail? =]**

**greed11 - Ah, I get it now. I know what you mean. I guess that is also my fault as a reader, I'm someone that when I read a person's story skim through all the minor details and rush to get to the gist of it all. That is my drawback as a reader and writer I suppose. I tried to add more visual details into this chapter, but at the same time I didn't want to do too much to bore you. I hope this is sufficient.**

**Can I also just say, that I have reached 50K words! That is, insane. I have never written so much before in my life! And the surprising thing is, I'm not even bored yet. I can just keep feeling the juices coming. So in celebration, I just want to thank everyone so so much for your continuous support. It means so much to me, especially for a new writer, especially for someone who did not expect to even get this far, or that anyone would even bother looking twice at my writings.**

**Thank you thank you thank you.**

**Love**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. Probably the longest chapter ever. Go me!**


	16. Chapter 16 Way In

_Me? Break? What break?_

**###**

**Chapter 16**

**Infiltration**

"When you put it that way, there's no reason why they wouldn't like you."

Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was not one to openly marvel at… just about anything. He was the type to hold his opinions to himself and keep his mouth shut, one of the very first lessons he learnt from Brain Camp. So perhaps he should chalk it up to the breath-taking view of the Citadel, having never been here before… Or maybe it was the distracting presence of the beautiful blond to his far right, but his own words didn't register in his head until seconds later, "I mean us. Humans. Ma'am." He quickly corrected himself, but the damage was already done.

_What the-? _He kicked himself as he 'casually' averted his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. _Great job Alenko, way to go on making a fool of yourself. _

"You don't take much shore leave do you, LT?" Ashley asked, amusement clearly laced through her voice.

He expected some form of reprimand from the Commander, he had seen the way she worked on Eden Prime: fast, furious and deadly. During their short time on the Normandy he assumed that all the rumors about their famous War Hero were wrong. Their conversations flowed easily and he saw no hint of the 'fearless bitch' reputation that he had heard so much about. In fact, she had an alarmingly unconventional sense of humor and had the ability to set anyone's mind at ease with a few simple words. The true nature of her reputation only became glaringly obvious during their time on Eden Prime. Kaidan was an L2, so he knew how important it was to maintain control at all times during a fight, but he didn't think it was possible for someone to be _that_ wildly powerful yet so impressively accurate at the same time. The blonde fought with skills beyond anyone else he ever had a pleasure to be in combat with. He couldn't help but feel a deep admiration and respect for the Commander, even more so after she pulled him out of harms way from that Prothean beacon. Hence why he was surprised when the blonde just smiled knowingly and replied. "Alright, laugh it up Chief. I appreciate the thought Alenko, but we're on duty here."

Stumbling over his words, "aye, aye ma'am" was the best response he could come up with.

"I'll walk drag ma'am." The brunette quipped up, obviously still finding the whole situation hilarious. Kaidan just wanted to smack himself, he couldn't exactly blame her, he was sure if the positions were reversed he would be highly amused as well.

Damn mouth.

**###**

_Damn stupid Council and their Spectres._ Jane growled as she stalked out of the Citadel tower. Slowed slightly only by the scenic landscape around them as they exited into open air.

How long had it been since she had last been here? Ten years? Eleven? Eventually coming to a stop at the edge leaning out over the vast water feature that snaked through the Presidium, she took the time to breathe deeply, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. It would not bode well for the Chief and Lieutenant to see her act so out of character.

Who knew the Council would be so damn blind?

Previously, they were so hurried for time that they had only taken a short moment to admire the Citadel's incredible view of the wards, and as amusing was her Lieutenant's slip up, the Presidium was different. Jane herself had never been to Earth before but she could imagine that the Presidium to Citadel was how New York City was to Manhattan. Overall, the entire station was gorgeous, but this central hub was the most aesthetic of them all.

Indeed the Presidium hadn't changed much since she enlisted in the military. It was still every bit as opulent, grand, and elegant as before. She remembered spending a fair bit of her teenage days here, seeking thrills and adventure between every nook and cranny with her best friend by her side. Despite the attempts of… just about everybody to maintain the Presidium's pristine reputation, there was always some sort of trouble that a couple of kids could get into, always something they would find to taint the apparent perfection that was the Citadel's pride. She could still feel it now, amongst the many species that walk on the immaculately polished white tiles, there was an undercurrent of _something_: secrets to unfold, areas to unlock, treasures to unearth. She was vaguely surprised by how much she missed those days of endless freedom.

Bringing her mind back the present she dully noted that her companions did nothing but stand calmly by her side. Perhaps they understood her frustrations, Williams having vocalizing hers more than their LT, and probably knew she needed a breather. Whatever it was, she was quite surprised by how fast she had gotten used to their constant presence. A good thing, since they probably would be stuck with each other for a while by the looks of it.

"So where are we heading next Commander?" Alenko asked when the blonde took a step back from the railing she was leaning on and stood straight.

Jane was just about to reply when a silhouette of a strangely dressed woman caught her eye. From where they were standing, she could only make out the figure's long dark hair and khaki-colored outfit. In comparison to the blue armor wearing C-Sec agents, the lavishly dressed asari and humans, the odd salarian and elcor here and there garmented equally as fashionably, the dark-haired woman looked almost as out of place as the three fully armed soldiers. Could it be…? Frowning, Jane walked towards her.

**###**

Ten years and ten months… That was how long since she last met her sister face to face. Shuffling through her memories now, she couldn't believe it had been so long. She could still remember, with startling clarity, how they commemorated her last day on the Citadel. Ironically enough, they chose to commit their largest 'crime' by diving into the large lake that she was now overlooking. Chuckling at the thought, she was pretty sure they were still 'wanted' by C-Sec officers, having escaped before they were caught. Ah the endless wonders of being a teenager.

Also, the thought of meeting Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko… Well, they sent shivers down her spine. Strangely enough, despite spending years on the Citadel, she had yet to meet any of the Normany crewmembers. Then again, this was a big Universe with trillions of people, so maybe it wasn't so strange after all. She was quick to put a halt to her thoughts as they traveled to the events of Virmire. She didn't need to think about that right now. As the famous Ted Mosby once said: Let future Skylar deal with it.

"…Sky?"

At the sound of her name the dark-haired girl looked up, only to be greeted by the very welcomed sight of a familiar lightly tanned face. "Jane." She breathed out, almost in awe. The holograms and vid calls did not do justice to how much her sister had changed over the last ten years.

Standing up to get a better look at the fully equipped blonde, she allowed herself a moment to drink in the sight before her. Jane had altered her hairstyle, opting for a high bun with escaped tendrils of hair framing her angular face instead of her old crop. The bulky black and white armor hid much of her body shape, but she could tell that her sister had grown, now almost a good four inches taller than Sky herself. To her surprise she was even wearing makeup, the simple black liner and mascara did magic to intensify her alluring purple eyes. Even the new, small angular scar that dragged down the bridge of her nose did nothing but add to her beauty

Gosh, _gorgeous _couldn't even come close to describe her.

"You look… amazing." For once in her life, Sky was actually speechless.

Her sister smiled radiantly, before reaching over and pulling her into a tight hug. She let out a sigh of relief and returned the hug with equal ferocity. After a moment, Jane pulled away grinning. "I cannot believe I haven't seen you in so long." She openly looked her up and down and Sky resisted the urge to fidget. She hated being scrutinized at. "I'm not the only one who has grown up I see."

Rolling her eyes the dark-haired woman smacked Jane in the shoulder. "Oh hush. Who are your friends? What are you doing here?" She asked, feigning ignorance. "Not that I'm complaining."

Turning her attention to the two humans flanking Jane she couldn't stop herself from giving them a quick one-over, doing her best not to gape. They looked _exactly_ like their characters in the game that it was slightly unnerving. Sure you could argue that Sky had 13 years to prepare for this moment, and she had been in the company of Shepard all that while. But the difference was, she knew Shepard as a teenager, she had a lot of time to acclimatize to that awe, but these two… Dayumn, this was going to take some getting used to. Jane shifted to introduce her teammates. "Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko." As they shook hands it took all of Sky's willpower to not squeal like a schoolgirl. Kaidan wasn't exactly her favourite character in ME2 as she believed the way he handled things on Horizon were super weak, but it didn't change the fact that she had always thought he was incredibly good-looking. Up close and _real_, even his five-o'clock shadow was way too appealing to ignore. "And Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." Sky hadn't paid much attention to Ashley in the games, having chosen Kaidan over her in Virmire. She winced inwardly at that thought, right… She still wasn't sure how she was going to deal with that. "Team, this is Dr Skylar." She suppressed a grin at the title before her name.

"Nice to meet you two." Sky said charmingly.

"Likewise."

"Same here."

With the formalities done Jane continued, "We're here on Alliance business."

"Damn. I was hoping we could catch up." The doctor leaned back, crossing her arms. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Not really." Jane replied guiltily. "I'm afraid we're a little short on time. I'll try to come find you later when all this is done?"

Sky shook her head. "No need. I'm coming with you." There. She said it. Here's to hoping that her sister would-

"What? No." Right, she knew it wouldn't be that easy. The blonde frowned down at her, looking extremely incredulous. "Official military affair Sky. No offense."

_Liar. If you really believed that to be true you wouldn't have accepted Garrus and Wrex on your team. _But she knew Jane well enough to expect this. "I'm not saying that I'm going to get involved with 'official Alliance affairs'" She added air quotes for emphasis, telling her sister that she didn't think that was the real reason Jane wasn't allowing her to tag along. "But you have to agree. You haven't been on the Citadel for what? Ten years? I know where things are, I know where to go. If you're in a hurry, I can help you get to wherever you need to faster." And before she could have time to think about it. "Plus, I haven't seen you in forever. I'm sure you won't mind an extra hand."

Judging by the inner conflict that she could see in her purple eyes, Sky knew that she was conceding. She felt a little bad at using the guilt card, but she needed to be onboard with this whole exposing Saren mission so that her sister could see how much she had improved. It was the only way.

She had been planning this for ages, assessing and churning over what would be the best entrance plan into the Normandy. Knowing Jane, she was not going to welcome her with open arms. The blonde was just fiercely protective that way. But she was intelligent and levelheaded; she would be able to see an asset as long as it was presented correctly, which was what Sky intended to do.

Jane sighed, finally relenting. "Fine. But you are only to act purely as a guide and nothing more."

Not going to happen, but she would take what she could get. Nodding, Sky just grinned. "Alright. Where are we heading?"

**###**

Jane wasn't sure what Sky was playing at, but she knew there was something up. Thirteen years of knowing someone tended to give an insight on what they were thinking, and she was itching to find out exactly what.

Either way she had to admit, Sky had grown a lot in the past ten years... More than she had expected. The Chinese woman grew out her hair and it was now tied up into a neat ponytail. She was dressed rather oddly too; it wasn't that she didn't approve of the outfit. It was just… she looked more like a fighter than a psychologist, and Jane wasn't sure if she enjoyed the change. She couldn't help but notice the military grade pistol harnessed around Sky's thigh and the scars running down the little exposed skin on her arms... And it got to her. The dark-haired woman was often cryptic about what she did during her spare time and it didn't help that overall, she emitted a certain aura that screamed _strength_. What _exactly _had her mischievous sister been up to all these years? Did she know her as well as she thought she did?

As they followed her to the financial district she could sense the uncertainty between her two teammates. She couldn't exactly blame them, especially since Sky was a total stranger to both, but she didn't have time to explain. They had larger things to worry about at the moment.

"Here we are. Barla Von's office." The group of four stopped outside one of the many doors. Jane briefly wondered how she had once learnt to navigate around this place, especially since the offices had no mark to indicate who was inside which room. Maybe it was a good idea to bring Sky along after all. A very small maybe.

"Alright. Wait right here." She ordered as they walked into the office. Sky rolled her eyes, but chose to do as she was told, much to the blonde's surprise. She would have loved to spend more time grilling the dark-haired Asian, but she needed to deal with this first. Stepping into the volus' office she was caught unaware when he looked up and greeted her by her name, as though he was already expecting her.

There were just too many questions and no time to find answers. She didn't like that one bit.

**###**

_Right. So that worked out quite well. _Sky thought to herself as she watched the trio enter Barla Von's office. She knew they would take a moment to grill him on information about Wrex, so she took the opportunity to run through the events that would be coming up.

She was pretty sure what they were going to do next: head to C-Sec to pick up Wrex, and then deal with Fist. So how was she going to divert them to the Clinic? Since she knew where Garrus was, there was no real need to deal with Harkin. Right, so it had to be in the time slot between Wrex and Fist. So how exactly was she going to get them there?

She was pulled out of her musing when the double doors swished open and the Golden Trio stepped out. Sky smiled at her sister innocently as though to say 'see? I did what you asked me to.' She knew that Jane was seriously suspicious at what she was up to. There was no way that she could completely hide her intentions from the woman. But she didn't really mind, the sooner Jane realized that she was going to be on the Normandy with her, whether she approved or not, the better. She was not giving up until her ass was on board, even if she had to fight tooth and nail to get there.

**###**

**Alot of cutscenes this chapter. I know. Skylar finally meets Shepard! Yayy. And we're off! Don't worry, more details coming in the next few chapters. Expect ALOT of resistance from Jane about letting Sky on board. I'm looking forward to writing about that actually. I might even fit in a few fights here and there.**

**I realize that there is not much elaboration on how exactly each of them feels about meeting each other after 10 years, aside from highlighting a little change in their appearances. Don't worry, it will come soon when they all have some downtime. This is just because in reality, Shepard is probably trying to expose Saren as fast as possible and hence cannot spend too much time roaming the Citadel and talking to everyone and etc. That will happen later. =]**

**Also, I was wondering to all you writers out there, how on earth do y'all remember all the details about ME1? Did you play through the game while writing? I'm trying to recall some of the conversations and stuff and well, its so hard. =S How did you do it?**

**Lastly, I might be trying to incorporate a fight scene in my next chapter. So any tips and hints on how to do that?**

**Thank you so much CuHnadian, greed11, Helljumper 1337, Liege Lord, PlutoAn, Nanobot5770 and S058 for reviewing the previous chapter. Again, you guys are the sole reason I still write. Thank you for your words of advice and support.**

**PlutoAn - I don't know if I can categorize Sky's fighting style, she is utterly hopeless at any tech so I can't say infiltrator per say. But imagine how Thane or Kasumi fights, something sort of like that minus Overload. She is a close-ranged silent fighter. No biotics, no tech. **

**As for all the other questions, worry not! They will be answered in time. What kind of author would I be if I revealed everything at once? ;] No. Suspense is a must. *Evil grin***

**Thank you, everyone else, who reads, subscribes and favourites my story. Much, much love.**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. Changed the summary, again. I was bored with the old one. =P**


	17. Chapter 17 Third Eye Blind

**###**

**Chapter 17**

**Ignorance is Bliss**

_Flashback: Year 2172_

_Giggling, the two teenage girls collapsed in the alley behind the C-Sec academy. Breathless with adrenaline, they slid to the ground, backs against the wall._

"_Shh shh…" The dark-haired girl hurriedly whispered, placing her index finger to her lips. The blonde clamped down her lips as tight as possible, trying to stifle her laughter as two turians dressed in C-Sec blue ran pass them._

"_How hard is it to find two little girls?" One of them growled, causing the two girls to struggle even more to remain silent. Eventually the sounds of their footsteps disappeared, and when they realized they were safe they burst out in laughter._

"_I can't believe you convinced me to do that!" Cried out the 18-year-old Jane Shepard. "And you're supposed to be the older one."_

_Sky gasped, as though thoroughly insulted. "We are never too old for anything!" Sticking her tongue out at the blonde she continued, "don't act all high and mighty now. I'm not the only one soaking wet here."_

_Glancing down at their clothing the teenagers let out a fit of giggles at their own abysmal states. Water was dripping off their hair and clothing, leaving a nice little puddle to collect around their body. Sky briefly wondered why the C-Sec officers never bothered to follow after the trail of liquid that they were leaving behind but chose not to dwell on it._

"_Fine. That was kind of fun." Jane admitted reluctantly._

_Sky just grinned and shook her head, causing droplets of water to scatter everywhere. "Well I-" She stopped when she heard a sudden scratching sound coming from the deeper end of the bare passage. "Did you hear that?"_

_The blonde nodded slowly. "What do you think it is?"_

"_Shit. It can't be the C-Sec could it?"_

_Neither of them brought their omnitools so they had no external sources of light. The sound got louder and closer, looking at each other worriedly Jane asked, "Should we run?" _

_But before Sky could reply the source of the sound came into the light. Catching each other's eyes, they nearly fell to the ground in laughter again when they realized it was just a keeper. _

"_Geez, that really scared me." Jane finally said as soon as they collected themselves. Placing a hand on her pounding heart, they watched as the large green four-legged insectoid exited their little alley and continued on its regular duty. _

_Suppressing a shiver, Sky couldn't help but recall how the seemingly docile creatures were once tools of the Reapers to annihilate other galactic civilizations. She didn't like them, no matter the good they did. There was just something creepy about the way no one bothered to study or look into their origins. "Yeah…" Clearing her mind, she brought her attention back to the present. "You should've seen the look on your face."_

"_Oh please. You should've seen your own."_

"_I'm going to miss you Jane." Sky blurted out, sobering from their previous high. Even though she tried to ignore it, the sole reason for their exuberant behaviour was too prominent to ignore._

_The blonde sighed, looking at her friend of two years. Had it really been such a short time? So much had occurred since the events of Mindoir that she couldn't believe they had only known each other for 22 months. "I'm going to miss you too." And she meant it._

_In life, there were actually very few situations that could cause two people to form such a strong bond within such a short amount of time. Being all alone, orphaned and scarred in the worst way possible was one of them. Jane wasn't exactly sure why, how or when she came to rely on the dark-haired Asian, but there was no denying it, she trusted her with her life and she knew that the sentiment was returned. Looking into the pair of sad brown eyes, she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at leaving the teenager all alone in the Citadel._

"_We'll keep in touch. I'll visit as often as I can." Jane promised, intertwining her fingers with Sky's._

_The other girl gave her a watery smile and nodded. "As long as you promise."_

**###**

"Wait. Do you hear that?" Sky brought the group to a stop outside the clinic.

Jane looked at her expectantly, "hear what?"

"In there." She gestured to the metallic doors.

"Did anyone else hear anything?"

"Negative ma'am." Ashley replied and Kaidon shook his head.

"I promise you. There is something going on in there."

The blonde shared a glance between her teammates, before shrugging. "No harm checking it out. Weapons out people."

_Yes! First objective down._ She was originally planning to maneuver the group to the clinic after they had picked up Wrex, but she had momentarily forgotten that the clinic was on the way to the Academy, and the opportunity seemed to good to miss. Not for the first time, Sky was glad that the blonde's 'always expect the worst' attitude came in handy. Reaching for her own pistol she lagged behind, wanting to see the group in action first.

**###**

As more time passed she was beginning to get more and more skeptical about Sky's involvement with her crew. First Garrus and the clinic, and now this? Frowning she shot a glance at the large krogan behind her.

"Are you sure about this?"

Her sister stared at her expectantly. "Trust me Jane, I'm a psychologist. If you want Fist dead, bring Wrex along because he is going to kill him, no matter what you say. If not, you're better off with the rest." At the look of disbelief on the blonde's face she continued. "I've studied mercenaries, criminals and murderers all my life. I know how they think. If the Shadow Broker hired him to end Fists' life, he will end Fists' life. That's what makes him such a great merc."

"So what are you suggesting?"

"Bring him along if you want to earn his respect. Krogans are aggressive creatures; it would do him good to see you in action, but only if you want to do so in the expanse of a criminal's life. It is up to you really; there are plenty of other opportunities to show him your strength, but you might lose out a little by not letting him complete his contract."

She knew that Sky was hiding something from her, she just couldn't figure out what. Still, the older woman's words did hold some truth. She had a feeling the krogan would be slightly harder to control than the typical turian or human. "Alright." Walking back towards the group she addressed them all. "Williams and Vakarian. You guys head back to the Normandy for now but keep in radio contact. Wrex, Alenko, you're with me."

"Aye aye ma'am."

"Will do."

Turning to the psychologist, "Wrex can handle us from here. He knows how to get to Chora's Den. You should leave us for now. I'll come find you after all this is done."

"Jane-"

"Sky." The blonde's voice had a tone of finality in it. Sky wanted to scream in frustration. Why was she being so damn prissy about this?

"Why won't you let me-" her words were cut off when the Commander grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from the two males, ignoring the look they sent to each other.

"Listen here." Jane kept her voice low, but harsh at the same time. "You're _not_ a soldier. You're _not_ fighting material and you are _not_ joining us on our little gallivant across the galaxy."

Much to her surprise Sky just ripped her arm out of her grip, before snarling back. "Stop. Treating me like a child. I've grown more than you know."

"If you keep acting like a baby, I'm going to have to!"

"Jane. You haven't been around for over _ten_ years. You don't even know how much I've improved or-"

"You are not an Alliance soldier!"

"And neither are Wrex or Garrus!"

"That is different." Why won't the woman see reason? "They're trained to handle this sort of situation. Saren and his geth are dangerous people, _real_ criminals who can kill you with a single gunshot."

"I've been fighting criminals for the past nine years, big deal."

"That's- What?" Jane did a double take. "You've been what? I thought you're a therapist."

"Was. I quit my job. But you know how turians 'release stress' by sparring? That's what I do for a living. I fight, and when I have shown my worth only will they talk."

The blonde frowned; this was completely new news to her. "So you fight- murderers? To treat them?"

Sky exhaled loudly, "Yes! I told you, I can handle myself."

"Why did you quite your job? Wait." Jane stopped her before she could reply. "We can talk about that later. We're supposed to be dealing with Fist."

"Precisely." The psychologist shook her head. "Now will you _please_ just let me join you. This once, and then you can form your own judgments on whether or not I am 'fighting' material."

"Dammit Sky, there could be biotics-"

"Jane. I love you. But seriously, shut up. Let's go." She was so taken back that she couldn't find the words to respond. She just stared as the Chinese girl walked away to stand beside the krogan, not even flinching when the large beast glared her down.

As they walked towards the gentlemen's club she couldn't help but steal glances at Sky. The conviction in her tone, the anger she displayed from Jane's lack of faith in her; that wasn't a part she was used to. She knew the girl could fight, they had received the same basic training after all, but she couldn't help but worry. She couldn't recognize her anymore, not in the way she walked, talked or acted. So who was this girl? And what did she do to her sister?

**###**

"Enemy ahead!" the Staff Lieutenant warned as he rushed into cover, releasing his pistol from its magnetic plate on his back and began shooting. He focused his biotics, before releasing a Throw at a group of three mercs, ignoring their groans of pain as they struck the club walls.

Jane spared herself a moment to search for Sky, only to realize the dark-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Good, that probably meant she vanished as soon as the enemies appeared, maybe she finally found out what she was in for. Grinning to herself the blonde brought her mind back to the battle. Now the fun begins.

Sky leaned against the wall, tactical cloak on full power. She had watched Jane in action just moments before, back in the clinic. But the display of power she portrayed then was nothing to the devastating damage she could do. She never had the opportunity to see the soldier fight under real circumstances, until now.

She watched as the blonde leaned out of cover and began focusing her biotics. Dark blue-purple mass effect fields collected and swirled around her body beautifully. Sky knew what this power was, the biotic charge, but she had never seen someone do it in real life before, and it was simply fascinating. The anti-gravity fields caused wisps of her blonde hair to float around her face and the color just reinforced her deadly purple eyes. She was immediately reminded of the Icenic War Goddess, Andraste. One moment Jane was standing in front of Sky, and the next she slammed straight into the middle of four mercs, shoving two off their feet. Before any of them could recover from their surprise she had already shot the first two straight in the face, causing blood, muscles and bone to splatter around the club in a sickly way. If Sky had a tender stomach, she was sure to have thrown up at the gore but the dark-haired woman had already seen her fair share of horrors. Watching on in interest, it seemed like her biotics had reinforced her shields because the bullets of the two recovered mercs did nothing but bounce off harmlessly. Once again Jane just stopped to gather her power, before charging straight into the third merc, the blow successfully snapped the man's neck as he crashed against the wall, effectively ending his life and the fourth was dealt by another round from her shotgun.

Shaking her head, it was no wonder the War Hero held such a feared reputation. She did not want to be on the blonde's bad side. Taking the time to study the Lieutenant and the krogan's style of fighting she eventually decided that it was time she proved her worth.

Allowing the rest of the team to draw gunfire she carefully made her way behind a pair of mercenaries. She guessed they must be Blue Suns, since most were wearing that trademark royal blue armor. Swiftly, she pulled out a combat knife from her back pocket, grabbed the chin of the one without his shields and slit his jugular vein, ignoring the blood the spurted out in all directions as he went down, drowning in his own fluids. She ended her cloaking as soon as her knife left his skin and got her Stiletto out and ready. The second merc's shield was almost useless against four headshots in point blank range and he was on the ground, face an unrecognizable mess.

Without stopping for a breath she turned to face another pair heading out of the room behind the bar. She could hear, more than feel the sounds of their bullets clattering against her shield. She ducked undercover as soon as her omnitool started beeping warnings. Peeking over the edge, she watched as Wrex charged into the first one. They had rather similar fighting styles, both Jane and Wrex, choosing to use pure brute strength and surprise over the duck-and-shoot method. Using this opportunity she leaped over the edge, despite her weakened shields and, like the way she dealt with the military mech only a couple of days before, halted right before his surprised face and blew his brains out.

The krogan turned around, having dealt with the first one and was briefly surprised to see the dark-haired woman standing over his second target. She winked at him, before promptly diving into another cover on the left, just in time as more men flooded into the room. Wrex grunted and follow her example, seeking shelter from an overturned table on the other side.

"What the hell. Sky?" Jane yelled in disbelief as she ducked in the empty spot beside her.

"'Sup babe."

"What are you doing here? I thought you scooted."

Sky rolled her eyes, "as if I'm going to just leave you here."

"This isn't-" She stopped short only to lean over the bar and fired at an unsuspecting merc. The close range caused the man to stagger backwards as his shield died. Huh, so her shotgun wasn't advance enough of a model to do those one-shot-death damages she was used to in the game, but she noticed from the singeing of flesh that she was using incendiary rounds. She made a mental note to get her some of those. "Dammit. You better not die or I will shoot you myself."

Finally. She was in the game. "Roger that Commander."

Jane hand shot out to grab the woman on the arm. "I'm serious doctor. Don't do anything stupid. I know you can handle yourself in a fight, but you haven't been up against trained gunmen before."

The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow. If that was what the blonde thought, she was in a real surprise. Still, she nodded to please her sister. Tapping away at her omnitool she turned to Jane and said, "Let's do this." Before vanishing completely from view.

The soldier stared at the blank space before her in surprise. Since when- Shaking her head, she realized it was pointless to argue, and dragged herself back to reality.

Fist first, she could interrogate Sky later on her newly acquired techniques.

**###**

**Okay several things to address here that you might have questions on:**

**Firstly, why is Sky acting so out of character-ish?**

**Well, from Jane's POV she would be, since she hadn't seen, or met the girl in such a long time. She only knows what Sky had been up to on a superficial level. Plus, it is sometimes wise to keep certain details from overprotective siblings (I do the same) so Sky's a little miffed at how much Jane is underestimating her. Don't worry, more emotional elaboration will happen in the next few chapters. Expect a cat fight. =P**

**Also, the gore:**

**I realize I got a little gorey with this chapter, brains blowing out, blood spurting. I don't know if this irks out my readers so could you let me know? My only defense is that seriously, shotguns close range can do some serious collateral damage, but I don't intend to describe all that in later fights, just trying to add more realism in the first real action scene. Again, I'm quite happy I decided to rate this an 'M'.**

**I had alot of fun writing this chapter. I got it done in an alarmingly short amount of time. I hope I'm not lacking in quality. As per usual, do let me know what you think of the action. This is sort of my first 'real' action scene as well. Although more will come later. Hand to hand combat is easier to illustrate anyway.**

**AND if it seems weird that Sky is not at all bothered by the blood bath, don't worry, against more elaboration on that later.**

**I would like to welcome some new subscribers and reviewers, thank you so much for your support. Even just by 'favouriting' this, you are helping me out.**

**Thank you PlutoAn, Otaku Addicted Dweeb, CuHnadian, S058, Nanobot 5770, Liege Lord and Helljumper 1337 for your reviews and advice.**

**Helljumper 1337: Yeah, I think I might do that when I reach scenes I really cannot remember details off. For now as long as I don't have to word-for-word quote anything, I'm fine.**

**CuHnadian and Otaku Addicted Dweeb: The mystery man? You'll just have to wait and see! Sorry, I'm evil that way, gotta keep y'all coming back for more yknow. ;]**

**I hope to hear from, and see all of you soon.**

**xx**

**Fee**

**ps. UCLA? =D**


	18. Chapter 18 Walk in the Moonlight

**###**

**Chapter 18**

**Rock and Roll**

She couldn't have stopped it even if she wanted to, although she wasn't particularly sure that she wanted to.

"What are you doing?" Alenko shouted, half in anger and half in shock as the blue-eyed criminal before them fell to the ground with a sickening quench. Jane didn't bother looking at the corpse; she had been the reason of enough blank-range shotgun fire to know that Fist was likely to be without a head any longer.

"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him, I don't leave jobs half done."

Out of the corner of her eyes she caught her sister glancing away from the scene. Sky had warned her about the krogan, and yet she still carried ahead. It made her briefly wonder if that said more about herself than the mercenary on her right. Still, the krogan had to know who was calling the shots. Taking a threatening step towards the red-armored tank, she leaned in, upper lip curling into a snarl, "I'm in charge here. You ever pull another stunt like that…" She didn't bother finishing her sentence. She knew that the krogan had seen her in enough action to know that she would carry through with her words. Despite his towering advantage she refused to relinquish her glare, staring him down with indignation.

As expected, the krogan didn't even flinch. In fact, looked rather bored. "He was the only contract I had left. And don't we have something more pressing to worry about?"

She was going to have to find another way to deal with this guy. She didn't want to back down, but he was right. Sending him one final look, she nodded to her team and walked out of the room.

The blonde didn't fail to notice that the psychologist almost looked uninterested. Damn her and her foresight.

**###**

"Shepard. We need to talk." The dark-haired woman said softly as she stepped forward to block her way, obvious disappointment in her voice. She only ever called the blonde by her last name when she wasn't happy with her.

"Can this wait? The Council is waiting for us."

Sky shook her head, long ponytail swishing behind her. "No it can't. You have been avoiding talking to me this entire time. Now that the Council has finally got what they needed, and you're done with what you came here for. The least you could do is spare me a few minutes to _talk_."

The Commander let out a sigh, before glancing back at the strange collection of people behind her. If someone told her yesterday that she was going to be working together with a quarian and a krogan by her side to chase down a rogue turian, she would have laughed. Funny how things changed so quickly… _Still,_ she thought as she turned her attention back to the woman in front of her, she owed Sky at least that much. "Alright. Tali, Wrex, you two head back to the Normandy for now, I'll radio ahead to let them know you're coming. Go settle in."

She wasn't able to get much of a read from her newest member, full environmental suit and all, but she was pretty sure she sent the aggressive mountain a sideways glance, as though to say, 'Really? Stick me with the tank?' before following her orders and heading down to the docking bay.

"Alenko, tell Williams to meet us at the Citadel tower. You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

"Aye aye ma'am."

"Finally." Her sister breathed out in relief as soon as the Lieutenant disappeared from sight.

Raising an eyebrow the blonde crossed her arms and nodded at her. "Alright, you wanted to talk. So let's talk."

Sky gave their surroundings a pointed look. They were still inside Ambassador Udina's room, and as much as she enjoyed the excellent view it offered, the place just reeked of prissy aristocracy that grated on her nerves. Sky hated politics, and politicians ever more, "let's go somewhere else." Plus, she was pretty sure the office was bugged.

Sighing, the blonde spared her omnitool a quick glance. She estimated that the Council's meeting would start in about 15 minutes. How much could she say in such a short time? "Where?"

"I know just the place."

**###**

Being back here sent rippled of nostalgia through her. How long has it been since she-

"Ten years and ten months." Sky's soft voice interrupted her thoughts, answering her unvoiced question. She watched the dark-haired woman as she stared calmly at the large water feature below, feet dangling off the edge of the bridge that they were sitting on.

"That long huh?" She murmured in response. This was their most regularly occupied spot on the Presidium back when they were teenagers. It was surprisingly peaceful, the one location in the entire Citadel that did not have hoards of people, humans _or_ aliens surrounding the area. They often took most of their heart-to-hearts here; there was just something soothing about the way the water lapped at their feet, something therapeutic about the soft, albeit artificial breeze. Even the splendid view of the (again, fake) bright blue sky with the multitude of multicolored zooming cars overhead added to the ambiance. Despite the many years, she could still feel her muscles loosen and her heartbeat slow; there was nothing more cathartic than being in a place where only happy memories were made... There were far too few of those places.

"Yeah. That long." Was that accusation she heard in her voice? Or was her brain making it up?

"We don't have much time. What's on your mind?" Jane asked gently.

It was an understatement to say that the woman beside her was no longer the same 19-year-old girl she once knew. Even though Sky was biologically older than her, the blonde had always taken the role as 'older sister', probably because of the lack of experience and knowledge the foreign girl had at the time. Jane was, and would always be, the stronger of the two, both in heart, mind and body, so it was only natural she adopted said role. But looking at her now… She didn't feel quite so superior anymore.

She wasn't blind. She didn't fail to take note of how the dark-haired woman conducted herself in Chora's Den, she had skills that Jane herself did not possess. Sky was exceedingly fast, lithe and accurate. She fought like a sly little fox, calculating the enemy's weaknesses and using them to her advantage. Much like Jane, she wasn't afraid to fight dirty and preferred close range combat. The only difference was that Jane fought with brutal, bone-crushing force while Sky _danced_ around her opponents with great finesse: taunting, pushing and breaking down their defenses little by little. While Jane relied on honed instincts and gut feeling; she could see almost see the clockworks of Sky's brain ticking as she carefully calculated each step of the battle. If that was how she operated as a therapist, she couldn't help but feel a little bad for her clients.

Taking a deep breath, the psychologist finally turned to look at her, dark brown eyes honing onto her own. "I want to follow you Jane." Before the blonde could open her mouth to protest, she raised a hand to stop her. "Just hear me out."

Clearing her throat Sky began. "I know what you're going to say, I'm not a soldier, but you've seen me work today, you've seen what I can do, and you have to admit that I have come a long way. I would not be asking if I didn't think I could handle it. The only reason I _am_ asking and not sneaking on board is because you're the XO of your ship. If I want to join you on your mission, I need you to see that I _can_ follow orders, that I am capable of following military regulations, which by the way I have already studied."

Jane blinked. She wasn't expecting that.

"I have been living on the Citadel by myself for more than a decade Jane. And I'm not looking for sympathy, I have a life here, I have friends, so no, you don't have to feel bad about leaving me." Again, imaginary accusation? "But I can give you so much more. I can read people, not just humans, but turian, drell, quarian, you name it; I've worked with almost all of them. I can give you valuable insight on your crewmembers and mission details. Remember Mindoir?" How could she forget? "You can't disagree that some of the details I provided on batarian behaviour did help. Now imagine if you could give me time to study geth, how much I could do with a professional degree."

The blonde sighed as she placed her face in her hands. Sky wasn't lying; she would be a damn good asset to have with them. But could she do it? Could she allow the one person she cared for the most prance around the battlefield, within death's reach? "What do you expect me to say?" Jane replied miserably at the end of her little speech. "I just… I can't put you in harm's way."

"Jane. If we don't stop Saren and the geth, I have a feeling I'm going to be in danger anyway. At least when I'm with you, I can _do_ something about it."

She had to admit that her words rang true. They did. But the thought of that damn turian getting his talons on her sister, it made her sick.

"Owen gave his life up for me." Sky's quiet, but determined voice cut through her thoughts. At the mention of her cousin's name she jerked back, staring down at the Chinese girl in disbelief. "And I swore that I will do something worthwhile with myself, to attempt to repay the debt that I will never be able to afford. At least this is something."

The image of her handsome cousin's purple eyes slicing through her own with an iron will was the strongest memory she had of him, and Sky was looking at her the same way, brown depths swirling with obstinacy. It was as though something clicked in her mind, and suddenly it all made sense. This wasn't something that just occurred to Sky, this was something that had been plaguing the girl for over a decade. Was that why she was so prepared? So willing to risk everything? How could she not have noticed before? Sky didn't just _want_ to do this, she _had_ to, just like Jane herself.

Almost stoically, she found herself nodding. "Alright. You can come along… But there are rules you need to obey."

"Such as?"

"You follow _everything_ I say."

"As long as you promise to treat me the same way you treat everybody else."

"Fine. Then it's best you forget that we're family."

Her words were met with deafening silence and she almost regretted them as soon as they left her lips. _Almost_. But Sky had to know what was at stake here, that this wasn't just a mission that anyone could be part of. Humanity relied on her, relied on her team. She needed the strongest, the fastest, the best of the best if they had any hope in succeeding. There were no second chances and no looking back. She needed to know that the psychologist was willing to sacrifice everything, including their relationship, if it comes down to it. She couldn't be her sister, she needed to be her soldier.

Then, Sky nodded, the dark-haired woman's neutral façade betraying no emotions. "I'll meet you on the Normandy then." She got up from her spot and said "good luck Commander." Before walking away, presumably towards the wards.

Looking at the Citadel tower behind her, Jane Amelia Shepard couldn't help but think: she was going to need more than luck to survive the coming months.

**###**

She didn't allow herself to think about it until she was within the safe four walls of her apartment, but…

She did it.

Sky was nearly overwhelmed by the thought: she actually did it… She was now part of the Normandy crew.

She was part of the Normandy crew!

Hastily, she leaned against the looked door for support, suddenly feeling very faint. She couldn't believe this… She actually did it.

Holy fuck.

The room swayed dramatically as she desperately tried to hold herself together. The events of the day were more than intense. Not only had she met almost all of the main characters, aside from Liara, but she was involved with her very first real firefight. Which reminded her…

Walking into the bathroom she couldn't help but grimace at her reflection in the mirror. They had taken the time to cleanse whatever blood they could off their skin before meeting up with the Ambassador, but it wasn't enough to remove all evidence of the fight. Dried blood coated her hair and the rest of her outfit, scattering flakes of red all over her white tiles when she tried brushed them off. She was quite sure that, unlike the game, Jane's inauguration to the Spectres would take a while, so she took her time removing, cleaning and polishing her armor and combat knife before hopping into the steamy hot shower.

Gore was nothing new to her, if fighting on Mindoir did not rid her of all gagging reflex, working with criminals sure did. Most had this weird habit of describing their 'works of art' in full detail, and then attempting to do the same to her. Perhaps she shouldn't be thankful for that, but she was. It made her a better fighter, and gave her a better chance at joining Jane- no, Shepard.

Forget they were family huh? At that thought the joy and high from being accepted to the crew was immediately dampened.

She had to admit, those words hurt, as much sense as they made. They couldn't function as Commander and Soldier properly if they acted like family. There was a reason why kin never worked under their parents, an all too good reason. Friendships formed and strengthen underneath command were different from those outside of it. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel as though Ja- Shepard had said that as a last ditch attempt to get her to stop pushing all together. But she had sworn before, she was getting on that frigate no matter what, even if it meant having to spend the next few months patching up their relationship from scratch.

"Fuck." she swore to herself as she slammed her fist against the wall. Why couldn't she just relent from the very beginning? Why did Jane have to be so damn stubborn?

Still, talking to the blonde proved to be an interesting experience. Mentioning Owen came as a surprise, she hadn't planned on that, and it only struck her at that moment to be true. She wasn't eager to race across the Universe just for the adventure, or to see the events of ME bear fruit; no, she wanted to be there because it truly meant something to her. This… This all meant something to her.

Awe-struck with sudden realization, Sky wrapped her fluffy blue towel around her long black hair, before walking towards her window and taking in the view of the ward below, probably for the last time. Her friends, the Citadel… The anger that came with the thought of the Reapers threatening all that she cared about shocked her. It made her conclude that this was not just a game anymore, this was her life. _Her_ life and nobody else's.

No dumb squid robot was going to jeopardize _that_.

Collecting herself together she glanced at the clock. She gave herself 10 minutes before she had to head back the Presidium. Just enough time to send quick messages to everyone that mattered: Yaz, Dahlia, etc. They deserved to know that she would not be within reach for a while, but she intentionally failed to mention where she was going or what she was doing.

Stealing one final look at her apartment, she stored as much as she could within her memories, needing to remember that she had a home to come back to, a home to protect. Tugging her large duffle back higher up her shoulder, she blew a kiss to the empty space, before leaving her world behind her. Listening to the familiar hiss of the metal doors, she allowed herself one moment of weakness: one moment of longing and loss, before her watery brown eyes visually steeled over. She knew that she made the right choice, there was no turning back now.

It's time to get the party started.

**###**

**Finally, Sky is given the green light. But not without a price. Want to see how they're going to react to each other after this? Wait and see. Interrogation ahead!**

**After all, I did promise you a cat fight. ;] Just an adult version though. Don't forget one's a doctorate PhD psychologist and the other is a military Commander. Some serious buttons need to be pushed before things erupt. How fun.**

**As per usual, do let me know what you think. There is nothing more I love than to hear from my readers.**

**Thank you Liege Lord, CuHnadian, Harteramo, greed11, PlutoAn, Helljumper 1337, Nanobot5770 and S058 for reviewing the last chapter. Again, your words anything in the world.**

**I'm happy that all of you are okay with the gore. I won't hold back. =P Thankfully though, I'm not a particularly violent person, unlike some people *ahem*Helljumper*ahem* =P**

**Nanobot5770 - She wasn't hesitant because she was afraid, Sky's someone (more elaboration later) who thinks a lot before a fight. Because she lacks in strength and size, she has to make up for in planning. So she works best by acting to her team's strengths, and the enemy's weaknesses. You'll see what I mean later. =]**

**greed11 - Don't worry. Take all the time you need. My updating speed fluctuates, I know. You're here now that's all that matters. =] As for the lack of detail, I know what you mean. I really do. There will be more added detail when it comes to areas I've created and future areas. I promise you that. The Citadel/Presidium... It's so hard to describe! There are only a certain number of times I can use 'futuristic', 'metal' and 'glass'. It's a rather boring looking place in my opinion, at least in terms of variety. Everything looks the same! Plus, it's a place that Sky had been in for ages. I will do better though, and when I find the time, come back to edit all this. But you are very, very right, I do need to add more detail. I need to work on my planning as well actually. Also, I agree with you. Calvin and Hobbes is amazing. =D**

**Let me know what you think of this mediocre chapter? Hope to see y'all next time.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**


	19. Chapter 19 Magic Carpet

**###**

**Chapter 19**

**Stealth Reconnaissance One**

To say that the Normandy was a beauty would be a dire understatement. Even for someone who had no experience whatsoever in deep space transportation, unless you included that three-night stay on the SSV Hastings, she immediately understood why so many regarded this particular frigate with awe.

It simply took her breath away.

The SR-1 sat calmly on its dock, a silent predator waiting for the right moment to wreck catastrophic damage. She could almost _feel_ the quiet, soft hum coming from within; an attractive lull of sorts that was the only telltale of its mortality. The bright antiseptic bay lights reflected from its polished surface, causing it to gleam wondrously like the star of the main event. Comparing the Hastings to the Normandy would be like comparing an old, decrepit man to a young, handsome soldier in his prime. They were of such different standards it would be unfair to place them in the same category.

She could not believe this would be her home for the coming months... Oh her brother would be so jealous.

"Welcome to the SSV Normandy. My name is Charles Pressly, Executive Officer."

Upon exiting the decontamination chamber and onto the bridge she came face to face with a familiar looking middle-aged man with grey hair. She was immediately reminded of Colonel Tigh, the XO of Battlestar Galactica, with his circular bald patch, serious brown eyes and thick facial hair. It took her a moment for his name to click within her brain. Navigator Pressley…? She had almost completely forgotten his involvement in the trilogy, which was odd. Why? What had happened to-

Oh.

It took all her willpower to keep a straight face. Forcing a smile, she shook his outstretched hand, trying not to let his warm, firm and very much alive grip throw her off balance. "Thank you very much. It is a pleasure to be here."

"The Commander filled us in about your arrival. Dr Skylar am I right?"

"Ye-es." Her voice cracked and she coughed lightly to cover it.

Thankfully, he did not seem to pick up on her little slip. "It is nice to see another human member joining the crew. Perhaps you should settle in first, the crews' quarters are on the second deck." Turning to gesture at the two doors most left and right of the area they were on, "those doors will lead you to them. The Commander requests that you meet her in the com-room in an hour."

Not trusting herself to say more she just nodded as the XO turned to take his leave. Leaning slightly against the metal frame, she took a moment to compose herself. She hated how knowing the future was almost like a double-edge sword. It was different with Nihlus because she hadn't forgotten his very existence, so she was somewhat prepared, but with the XO… She couldn't believe he completely slipped her mind. There were times where she was very glad that there were some gaps in her knowledge, but moments like these weren't one of them. Shuddering, she quickly pushed the thoughts of the SR-1's impending doom out of her head; she couldn't allow any of this, be it Virmire or the destruction of the Citadel, deter her performance.

A day at a time.

Baby steps.

**###**

Lieutenant Commander Jane Amelia Shepard had faced many impossibilities in her short 29 years of life: escaping pirate slavers with almost nothing but scavenged weapons at age 16, upholding the front lines on Elysium with a group of untrained civilians and a simple pistol, being promoted to the first human Spectre… But nothing could possibly prepare her for this:

How on Earth was she going to get a full Alliance flight crew, a biotic Lieutenant, a Gunnery Chief, a krogan mercenary, an ex-C-Sec turian, a lost quarian and a gung-ho psychologist to _not_ kill each other, not to mention work together? What possessed her to even accept all their offers of help?

Sighing, the Commander forced herself towards the cockpit.

Just the travel time from the Acturus Station, to Eden Prime and then to the Citadel took almost four full days. Almost 100 hours and Jane still could not get used to the view.

The magnum opus of turian and human engineering combined the best of both worlds, and delivered it in one shiny package. It was by far the most modern and magnificent of ships that she had the honor to serve on, no surprises really considering the trillions of credits the Alliance pumped into this. The fact that she was now _in command_ of the top-secret frigate sent thrills of excitement, anticipation and horror down her spine.

In fact, the events of the past hour did nothing but sent thrills of excitement, anticipation and horror down her spine.

"I heard what happened to Captain Anderson." The scratchy voice of their helmsman jolted her out of her thoughts as she stopped beside his seat. Staring out through the large glass window to the endless galaxy beyond, she was once again reminded of how _small_ they were, how _insignificant_ in comparison to the vast nothingness before them. The pilot went on about backroom politics and chopping blocks, expressing his disgust for the unfairness of their ex-CO's situation and his concern for her head. They were sentiments she was already well aware of, and shared to a certain extent.

"Saren's out there somewhere, and we're going to find him."

Reaching over to the com-link that connected to the entire ship she cleared her throat and addressed her crew for the first time. _Her _crew, it sounded and felt wrong. Despite Joker's reassurance of them being 100% behind her, Anderson should be here, he should be the one standing in her place… But when did anything ever go as planned? "This is Commander Shepard speaking." They had no choice. No backup, no second chances. They were the only line of offense and defense the galaxy had, and she had to make sure her team knew that. "We have our orders: find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you crew, this mission isn't going to be easy…"

Her words flowed easier, stronger than she expected, and all she had to do was speak the truth. For the first time since the whole debacle started, she realized that they had a chance… A good solid chance to winning this thing, failure was _not_ an alternative that the Universe could afford. Images of her ground crew flashed through her mind as she continued her speech, they had the potential to be the strongest team in the galaxy, and it was up to her to make sure they succeeded, no matter the cost.

"Well said Commander, the Captain would be proud." Joker said, looking up at her when she finished, clearly impressed.

"The Captain gave up _everything_ so I could have this chance. We can't fail."

_I cannot fail._

**###**

Sky had to admit: their CO had a gift with words. She could almost here the crescendo of strings, clashing to end in fortissimo at her final, determined 'we-will-find-him'. As she looked around from her position on the bridge, she could tell that the crews' morale, previously dampened by the lost of their trusted Captain, were now restored to new heights after hearing the words of their War Hero. She could even feel her own heart beating faster, adrenaline rushing through her blood at the thought of taking the terrorist down.

No wonder Shepard was, well… Shepard.

"Sky."

She turned at the sound of her name being called. "Commander." She greeted in response.

The Commander paused and she could almost see her purple eyes soften slightly at the lack of familiarity of that title coming from her. And then, in a blink, the purple depths hardened once again. "What do you think of the Normandy?" She inquired casually as she beckoned the woman to follow her.

The Normandy...? There were no words. Upon reaching the lower deck Sky was quick to find her allocated sleeping pod and dump what little belongings she brought with her in the lockers. She had decided to spend the remainder of her free time exploring the ship and she could not have been more impressed with what she had seen. From the Galaxy Map on the CIC to the drive core, she could not have, in a million years ever dreamt up something so magnificent. "It is- It's, well... perfect."

Shepard nodded, understanding immediately. "Come on. It is about time I got to know my crew."

Looking around as they slowly moved through the crowded ship it still surprised her to see how many people were present. In the game the other crewmembers were easily neglected, doing the same monotonous actions again, and again, and again. In fact, outside of the few key players and the ground crew, she had not paid any mind to anybody else. But here… Dozens of people busied themselves with countless tasks, running up and down between decks, constantly on the move.

"Is it always this busy?" she asked as she shifted slightly to let someone pass her.

"The Normandy was geared for trouble, thankfully. So we have more than just the typical skeleton crew."

Right, she did remember Joker and Kaidan expressing their suspicions on Eden Prime just being a shakedown run. "How many individuals are there on board?" She asked, curious.

"More than 50? I need to do a full roster check before we leave the Citadel, but I thought it be better if I addressed my team as a whole first."

The Commander led her to the briefing room: a large, circular area located at the back of the top deck that she recognized to be the place where Shepard could contact the Council. There were several seats set up around the room, all but three occupied with the current members of the ground team. Sensing some form of meeting about to occur, she sat down in the empty chair between Tali and Kaidan. Shepard stayed standing however, taking the time to study each member of her team carefully.

"I appreciate the fact that each and everyone of you volunteered to join us." She looked pointedly at the non-Alliance members of the crew. "Even though this is largely a human ship, I would like to assure you that you will receive the same respect and treatment from me as would any human on board. But I will not pretend that finding the Conduit, or taking down Saren, is going to be a walk in the park. For this mission to succeed, I need every single one of you to in your top form. And that does not just apply to physical fitness, but to have the ability to obey my orders, _and_ work together. I will not tolerate any insubordination or discrimination amongst you lot. Any problems? You come to me. Any complaints? You come to me. If you have don't believe you can do that, you may leave the ship right now." Her voice was sharp and fierce, but no one moved, Sky was pretty sure no one even twitched.

"Good. We are headed to the Artemis Tau Cluster to look for a certain Dr Liara T'soni." Sky had to stop herself from clapping in glee. Good choice Shep, exact same move she would have made herself. "I will brief all of you at a later time. For now, go familiarize yourselves with the ship and its' members. And please, try not to scare anyone." Her last words were punctuated with a look at the krogan, who just shrugged innocently in response.

"That is all. Dismissed." She watched as they filtered out of the room one by one. "Wait, Sky."

"Hmm…?" The dark-haired woman stopped in her motion to head out the door.

Shepard cocked her head towards the helm, "I'm about to tell Joker to head through the Mass Relay. The last time you saw the Citadel from space was what- 13 years ago? I thought you might want to come take a look."

Sky blinked, before grinning excitedly. "Ooh definitely."

"So what do you think of the crew so far?" The blonde asked as they made their way towards the bow.

"Interesting choice of people I must say." _Nothing I didn't already expect but... _"But powerful nonetheless."

"You're okay with working with non-humans?"

"I'm not xenophobic if that's what you're asking." She smiled reassuringly at her CO. "Don't worry, I'm used to working with aliens. Even the krogan doesn't get to me."

Shepard stopped them just outside of Joker's eavesdropping range. "Sky... Are you sure you want to do this? It isn't too late to turn back."

"I am very certain Shep. Nothing is going to make me leave you now."

She wasn't sure how to feel about those words. Sure she was glad that the other woman held such blatant loyalty to her and the cause, but something deep inside of her still wanted to toss her out of the ship while she had the chance. Sighing, she finally nodded. "Alright…" This was it, she had to accept her sister's role in their little story.

"Joker." She addressed her pilot as soon as she stepped within the cockpit. "Set coordinates for Artemis Tau, keep an eye out for Prothean ruins."

"Yes ma'am."

**###**

_Well that was certainly anticlimactic._ Sky thought to herself as she jogged down the stairs towards the second deck. Traveling through the relay she expected some form of zooming, forceful impact, as depicted by Star Trek. She wanted the whole she-bang: the strong jolt, the stumble for balance, but the only thing she felt was a soft pause, a gentle wave spreading through the ship before they ended up on the other side of the galaxy. Sighing, she supposed it was too much to expect the Reapers to do anything half-heartedly. Not even the creation of Mass Relays.

"Hey." She called out in greeting as she spotted the person she set out to see idling by the control panel. She had a feeling she was going to find him here.

The brunette reached to wipe the sweat off his brow, before turning towards her. "Hey yourself."

"It's Lieutenant Alenko right?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "We didn't really have much of a chance to talk when we were running around the Citadel."

The biotic chuckled, before placing down the datapad he was holding onto the table beside him. "Yeah, we didn't. So you're the psychologist."

"And you're the L2."

Alenko raised an eyebrow at that, reasonably surprised. The grade of his amp was no secret, but he didn't think that the woman before him would have taken note of it. "How did you figure?"

_From playing computer games. _But instead of saying what she thought, as per usual, Sky shrugged, "Shepard's an L3. The base of your implant is different, so I just assumed. And the look on your face told me I was right." She winked, "I am a psychologist remember?"

The bemused marine just shook his head and smiled, "so how did you know the Commander anyway? Looked like you two have known each other for a while."

Back on the Citadel, Sky did briefly wonder what the blonde had told the crew about her, but from the looks of it, seemed like she didn't say anything at all. Perhaps she was overestimating the relationship between Shepard and her team, maybe she was too used to the free and easy friendships she saw in ME2. Turning her head slightly she pondered on how to respond. "Well… I've known her for almost a decade now. We were close, not sure where we stand at the moment though. But I'm looking forward to finding out." Quite a good reply, in her opinion: Non-committal, honest and straightforward. "What about you? How did you end up on this ship?"

"Where the brass tells you to go, you go. That's just what it's like being a marine. Not that I really minded." The Lieutenant leaned against the panel and continued in his low, gruff voice. "Top-secret invention, wonderful adventures. At that time, I wouldn't have refused even if I could."

"And now?"

"Saren is a Spectre. He was supposed to protect the galaxy. If you're asking about whether or not I have qualms about joining this mission, I don't. He deserves to burn for what he did on Eden Prime."

Sky nodded slowly, understanding. Kaidan's reactions were pretty much textbook soldier. "I heard it was rough in Eden Prime. If you don't mind me asking… What happened?"

Kaidan ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed. "No, it's okay. You have the right to know what we're up against." Taking a deep breath he continued, "About everything that could go wrong, went wrong. It was supposed to be a simple shakedown run you know? Except we all could tell it wasn't. Not with Captain Anderson, the Commander and a full flight crew on board. Expect trouble, and trouble comes knocking. We were there to pick up a Prothean beacon, and yeah, a real life Prothean beacon. But Saren's geth got there before we could, and well, you should already know the rest of the story. Killed a member of our team, killed our Spectre, decimated the colony, almost murdered everyone, including civilians. And then I did the most stupid thing in the world and activated the beacon."

"How did you manage to do that?" Sky asked, frowning slightly in faked disbelief. Wow, she couldn't have been more thankful for those drama lessons.

"To be honest, I don't know." He sighed, rubbing his face with his right hand. She could tell that he was still feeling the guilt from what happened. Poor Kaidan. It wasn't like he planned for it to happen. "But the Commander pulled me out of the way. She got the full blast of it instead."

"Yeah I heard about that, the visions..." Well, she didn't exactly hear it from anybody. But it would be easy to claim that some other member of the crew said something right? "From what I heard, it also wasn't your fault."

"Yeah… That was exactly what the Commander said." Sky secretly cheered for the blonde on the inside. Kaidan would get over his guilt eventually, once he was used to pulling her ass out of the fire. That, or groping said ass. "But anyway, Eden Prime was a mess." Frowning, he crossed his arms in frustration. "I never understood how someone who so many trusted, could turn his back on them like that. How could a Spectre work with the geth?"

"Sometimes… People lose their way, some worse than others." It was true, she had come across many loss cases in the CCF, and some were just beyond saving, no matter how much she tried. "We can only hope to lessen the damage they have caused by helping those that have been hurt."

The brunette went silent for a bit, chocolate eyes glazing over as he thought about her words. "I guess you're right… Thanks for the chat doc. I really should get back to work. Hope you weren't psychoanalyzing me or anything there."

"No worries, always here if you need to talk to someone." Oh wow, she was starting to sound like Kelly Chambers. She suppressed a shiver at the thought of the bubbly, exuberant female. "And nah, I only use my special talents when I want something. I'll see you around kay?" Winking at the biotic, she waved and turned away.

As soon as she was sure he couldn't see her face she breathed out a huge sigh of relief. As far as she could tell, that conversation was a success. No embarrassing mistakes, no unintentional slip of information. She was just going to need some more practice with the whole 'acting' thing.

Grinning, she started for the Medical bay. It was about time she paid an old friend a visit.

**###**

**Another chapter done. Can I just say, this was probably the hardest chapter to write thus far. There was so much to include I just didn't know _what_ to include! Anyway, I hope to develop Sky's relationship with the crew slowly. I can see how it's going to take a while. Anyway, yay! First conversation with someone aside from OCs, Anderson or Shepard! =] What do you think? Did Kaidan act realistically enough for you? And as for the guy in Chapter 10, yeap, I'm sure you can all tell it's not Kaidan anymore. Didn't really want it to be him in the first place. But anyway...**

**As per usual, always interested to know what you think. **

**Thank you all those that were kind enough to review. Death-Dimension, Ursakar, PlutoAn, Helljumper 1337, S058, Liege Lord, Nanobot5770, Teresa Bells and an unknown anon for your kind words and incredibly advice.**

**Teresa Bells - I don't think I've ever completely finished an entire self-insert before, so I do understand what you mean my cringe-worthy. I found most too much for me to handle, Lord knows why I decided to write my own, and yet here I am. =P But thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying it. =] You are right on the dot when it comes to Sky's fighting abilities. She's not very strong and any extra weight just wears her down. I think giving her the ability to snipe would make her a little too Mary Sue. I want her to be able to keep up with the ground team, but thats it.**

**Liege Lord - Again, thank you SO much for pointing that out. =P**

**Helljumper 1337 - Will do my best. =P**

**Death-Dimension - That's a good idea. Funnily enough, that's an idea I've played in my head too. ;] We'll just going to have to wait and see huh? **

**Hope to see y'all in the next chapter!**

**Much love,**

**Fee**

**ps. OVER A HUNDRED REVIEWS? What is this sorcery? I never thought, in a trillion years, that anyone would even bother to pay any attention to the stuff I wrote. The fact that you guys supported me, there is nothing I can do to return that but say thank you thank you thank you thank you. I love you guys, honestly. You have no idea how much this means to me. Xoxoxoxoxo**


	20. Chapter 20 Windows to the Soul

_Thank you Liege Lord._

**###**

**Chapter 20**

**Transformation**

By the time she made her way to the Med Bay it was already getting late. The sleeper pods at the far end of the deck hummed from use, occupied by the Normandy's larger 'day' crew. Kneading the tensed muscles on her right shoulder she reached out to open the automated doors, only to come face to face with a member of her ground team leaving the room.

Sky's hair was down for the first time since she saw her on the Citadel: long dark strands cascaded messily down her back, wavy from being tied up for so long. Her hazy brown eyes twinkled with laughter and her cheeks were unnaturally flushed. Upon seeing the Commander her wide, easy grin formed into a knowing smile. She nodded at her in greeting, "Shepard." Her voice slightly hoarse from what seemed to have been a long conversation.

"Sky." She breathed out in surprise, not expecting to see the woman in such a state. Frowning, she took in her disheveled, exhilarated appearance and asked, "Have you been drinking?"

Sky winked, "maybe?"

"Right…" The thought of reprimanding her crossed her mind, but she quickly swept it aside. It had been a long day: duty rosters, talking with the crew, familiarizing herself with the ship; it left her more exhausted than she thought it would. Plus, Sky wasn't on duty, and as long as it didn't affect her performance when she was needed, she could live with that. "You should get some rest. We have a meeting in the com-room at 0900 tomorrow."

She nodded, "Got it. Goodnight Commander."

Jane watched as the dark-haired woman walked towards the bathroom with a little skip in her step. Shaking her head she sighed, before heading into the Med bay as she had originally intended.

"Commander." The Normandy's doctor lifted up a large crystal bottle alcohol as soon as she came into sight. "Would you be interested in some?"

As tempting as her offer was, the blonde knew that it wouldn't be wise for her to be intoxicated on her first day as CO. Smiling apologetically she shook her head. "No thank you."

"Suit yourself." Dr Chakwas capped the bottle tightly, before placing it into a small fridge located underneath her table.

"I would never have tagged you as a drinker." The Commander said, amused slightly by the reddened face of their usually elegantly composed doctor. "Late night relaxation?"

"I don't honestly know. Sky had came in a two hours ago-" She turned to look at the bright display of '22:24' on her screen and frowned. "Make that five hours ago for her check up and to talk. And somewhere between blood tests and bone scans she managed to convince me to bring out my bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy. Sprouting some wise nonsense about the possibility of dying the next day."

Huh. She wouldn't have expected that from Sky. "Morbid. But you gave in."

The doctor shrugged as she sat down on her chair. "That girl can be very convincing when she wants to be."

_You've got that right_. Pulling up the seat she was sure previously occupied by her slightly inebriated sister she moved to sit next to other woman. "I came here to see if you have ran the routine checks on the crew. Are you in the mood to discuss it?"

Chakwas chuckled softly, "No worries Commander. It takes a lot more than just a cup of Brandy to take me down." She replied wistfully, recalling the days where she used to drink younger recruits underneath the table. Tapping away at her terminal she drew up the data gathered from the afternoon. "All the new members have been to see me. Nothing out of the ordinary, each is in his or her prime physical state. Quite impressive really."

Jane nodded, eyes scheming through the information on the screen. "What can you tell me about Alenko's biotic abilities? I don't actually know much about L2s."

"Well, sometimes there are complications... But Kaidan's fortunate, he only suffers from migraines, although they can be rather intense at times. Other than that, he is probably one of the most powerful human biotics I've met thus far, with the exception of you of course."

Not for the last time, the Commander counted her lucky stars to be an L3. During her biotic training many years ago she heard some speculations on the downsides of being an L2, death being the most prominent one. The skills Alenko displayed on Eden Prime and the Citadel were second to none. Knowing that he managed to achieve all that while suffering from his migraines made her respect for him grow. "Will they affect him during a mission?"

Dr Chakwas shook her head. "No, they don't pounce on him without warning, thankfully. He can normally feel it a couple of hours before an onset so he will be able to tell you if he is functional or not for battle."

Good. So that removes one worry from her list. "And what about our resident psychologist? How is she doing?"

The doctor reached to her right to pick up a datapad and handed it to her. "Surprisingly well. You can tell that she had been doing some hardcore training. Her physical showed that she is more an infiltrator-type than a soldier. Smooth, flexible muscles; strong, but not incredibly dense. Made sense, considering her small frame."

Nothing she didn't already know. "What about her little… Biotic problem?" The blonde asked, scanning quickly through the data.

"According to her, and Dr Robertson, she no longer feels that crippling pain she once did. Nothing more than a tingle, although I do not recommend setting her up against a biotic since we still don't know the effect an actual damaging power will have on her."

"How is that possible? I thought she was incurable?"

"She is. The virus will never fully go away. But she has taken certain steps to ensure it wouldn't affect her performance."

Jane frowned, why did she sense something fishy going on? "What kind of steps?"

"Ah…" The doctor looked slightly hesitant. "She never told you?"

"Never told me what?" Another secret about her supposed 'close' sister that she didn't know? Had the girl been actively hiding things from her all this while?

"I don't think I'm in the right place to tell you Commander. But of course if you insist on knowing it is my duty to inform you. However, I do believe it might be a wiser course of action to ask Sky herself."

Chakwas could not have given a more cryptic answer. But as much as her curiosity was eating away at her, she knew that there was certain information that was best extracted from the source itself. Making a mental note to get the answer out of Sky, she moved on. "And the rest of the crew?"

**###**

Sky hummed softly as she made her way to the female bathroom located at the far end of the mess. It had been a while since she consumed any amount of alcohol and being so small, it didn't take much to get her slightly tipsy. Giggling, she couldn't believe that she managed to convince the good doctor to allow her a couple of sips of the famous brandy. She had always wondered what it tasted like, and why it was so important to her. Unfortunately, being quite the alcohol virgin, she didn't really know enough to make suitable comparisons.

Strolling casually into the washroom she almost didn't notice a figure hunched over the sink. Long dark-hair very much like her own swept across the stranger's face like a curtain, preventing Sky from identifying her. But at the sound of the metal doors swishing shut, she stood at attention, back ram-rod straight.

"A- Williams?" Sky immediately recognized her familiar face.

"Dr. Skylar." She greeted in return, hastily running her fingers through her short hair. Sky had never seen her with her hair down before, even in the game and it added more personality to the 2D character that she knew. Ashley turned to the side of the sink and ripped her towel from the hanger. "Sorry, I'll leave you to it." Before rushing pass her towards the door.

"Hey…" Sky called out, placing a gentle hand on her arm to stop her. "Are you okay?"

**###**

"Are you okay?" The psychologist asked, genuine concern enhanced in her soft brown eyes.

The female soldier hadn't had much opportunity to interact with the doctor, having made to return to the Normandy in place of the krogan back on the Citadel. She didn't necessarily agree with the Commander's choice of ground team, but she was prepared to swallow her discomfort and do as she was told. She owed Shepard her life, and she trusted her immensely. But that meant she didn't have much of an impression of the woman before her.

Was she okay?

She was in a state of limbo between numbness and pain. A coin so perilously perched that it would dip, but never fall to either side. The frustration hurt her brain, her heart, her core; she wanted to just get the tears over and done with. Deaths of your teammates were not uncommon in her line of work. Same story, different day, but why couldn't she vent?

Many a times had she lost a friend, an acquaintance to enemy fire. What angered her most was not that the fact that she lost them, but that she had lost them so _easily_. She could recall with perfect clarity the moment the synthetics tore through their camp. Shepard was right; despite their stupid light-bulb heads they were quiet, skilled infiltrators that need not even breathe. Maybe they never stood a chance… But to see her team ripped apart so quickly before her eyes, to see how no matter what she did, she didn't even put a _dent_ on their reinforced shields… It killed her. She was supposed to be a dedicated, qualified Alliance soldier, but she was _useless_- utterly and completely useless.

The 212 deserved better.

Both the Captain and the new CO had told her that they were in a happier place, that she need not blame herself for their demise. Contrary to what most might think, the Chief did not blame herself. She knew she did all she could and pure dumb _luck_ was the only reason she was the one that survived. And yet… She was the last _sole_ survivor. The only one left, how could that be? Why was she spared? She didn't deserve it, Hell, she didn't even really want it at the moment. It wasn't that she wasn't glad to be alive, it was just… There were many more deserving souls in the 212.

Shit. And the bloody geth had to mess with her head by making her choose between her own life, or taking down the tainted bodies of her friends. Had the Commander not shown up… She didn't think she could pull the trigger. Damn, she could still see John's blue eyes in that monster the synthetics cooked up.

Swallowing with great difficultly, she turned her face away from the doctor's gentle searching gaze.

She didn't need her sympathy, and knowing the psychologist, she probably thought she needed some therapy sessions or something. She didn't like mental health professionals; she hated how they prodded and probed at personal issues, issues that the soldier would prefer to keep locked tightly in a titanium case. The memories of her unit, and their deaths, were not things she was willing to share with just about anyone.

With the exception of their Commander of course.

But that was because their Commander had been through more than anyone she had ever known. Everyone in the Alliance knew about Commander Shepard, War Hero of Elysium, owner of the Star of Terra. She had to be blind, deaf _and_ dumb to not hear rumors about the vanguard's history. To be able to serve on the Normandy with the crème de la crème of Commanding Officers, was the greatest honor bestowed on her in her entire lifetime.

_And all at the cost of losing 212. _She thought bitterly to herself. _And Corporal Jenkins. _Rewarded in place of a punishment, she couldn't figure out how the world worked.

Bringing her mind back to the present, she wondered how she was to reply the doctor. What did she expect her to do? Blurt out all of her feelings and secrets at a simple question? She was far stronger than that.

She was stronger than all of this.

Bloody hell, losing friends was not uncommon, but admitting defeat certainly was, at least where she was concerned. If the geth, and Saren, thought this was all she could take, they were going to be proven very wrong.

Ashley Madeline Williams, Gunnery Chief of the SSV Normandy, was going to _take them down._ She was certain about it.

Her eyes shifted from the small, pale hand on her arm, back to the kind eyes of the dark-haired woman before her. She could feel her own heart-rate strengthen: her blood sang for vengeance and she would deliver exactly that, if not more.

"I'm fine." She replied at last. Voice clear, confident and powerful.

The doctor redrew her hand back to her side and studied her, before nodding, lips turning into a small smile. "Alright."

She hadn't expected that. She didn't think that she would give in so easily. Pleasantly surprised, she bid the woman a goodnight, before walking swiftly out the door, her shoulder feeling significantly lighter.

"Goodnight Williams." Was the last thing she heard before the doors slid shut.

**###**

Sky wasn't very sure what just happened. Over the course of many years she made a living out of being an expert at decrypting expressions, so it was safe to say that her assessment was fairly accurate.

She had watched the storm of emotions tore through the soldier's eyes, and once again she was struck by the notion that she was _real_. That unlike a random character in just another story: Ashley Williams was a real person, with real depth and real problems. She could see the pain, frustration and anger in her raging brown depths, fighting to escape; and she also saw the transformation that occurred: back stiffening, lips forming a grim, but determined line, and her eyes, hardening with the promise of continuity. It humbled her to see this change, realizing that the Gunnery Chief was more than just the lamb to slaughter, as she had imagined her to be in ME1.

The reality of her situation scared her more than she dared admit. Sobering from the little alcohol that was already being cleansed from her system, the psychologist turned to look at herself in the mirror mounted above the metal sink. She was not one that could distance herself from people; she could see herself coming to care for the various people currently on board the Normandy, Williams, Alenko and Pressly included. How was she going to deal with their imminent deaths?

How does anybody?

**###**

**Special thanks to Liege Lord about the Brandy idea. Good thinking. ;]**

**I always felt like the game didn't put enough emphasis on Ashley losing her entire unit. There was a little about it here, and little about it there, but not enough elaboration yknow? I wanted to portray Ashley as an actual person, and therefore this chapter. In both my play-throughs I let Ashley die on Virmire. I'm trying to show how Sky would feel after actually getting to know the girl. However, we still don't know of Shepard's decision. Ashley or Kaidan? Hmm... We'll see.**

**Either way, I'm gonna feel horrible for killing either of them off. IF I kill someone off. Decisions decisions. Thankfully, still a long way to go.**

**Let me know what you think. A more character depth chapter this one. I've decided that I'm going to try to make this SI more about everything else, other than just the OC. I want you to get a feel of the characters, and not just Sky. Don't worry though, she will be the main character either way.**

**Good portrayal of Ash? Sky's situation? Jane? Chakwas? Looking forward to hearing from you guys.**

**Once again, thank you so much for reading, subscribing, favouriting this story. It really means alot to me to hear feedback from you lot.**

**Thank you S058, Rosiegirl52, PlutoAn, Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, CuHnadia and Nanobot5770 for reviewing. =] **

**And yes, as you can already tell. Kaidan wasn't the mystery man. But no worries, all secrets will be revealed in due time. Due time I say!**

**PlutoAn: Most likely, but I haven't decided yet. Gotta wait and see. As for the ground team question, that will be answered either in the next chapter or the one after. =]**

**Rosiegirl52: It's not Kai Leng. Ahahaha. Especially since he wasn't described as Asian.**

**Thank you again! Looking forward to hearing from you guys.**

**Much love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. If anyone knows anything about the Berkeley (San Francisco area) do let me know what it's like. I can't seem to find many thing about it. =[**


	21. Chapter 21 Starting Point

**###**

**Chapter 21**

**Continuation**

_It was happening again._

_The same horrific screams, cries of anguish and ear splitting screech. The smell and taste of metal and blood coated her tongue, her lungs, leaving a bitter acrid taste that seemed to burn her from inside out._

_And then she was torn away by a flash of yellow so painfully bright that it very nearly blinded her. Disorientated and paralyzed, she felt the ground below her feet shake and tremble in trepidation, strong enough to be audible. Before she knew it, a mutilated, ugly, squid-looking machine invaded her vision, coated in murky green liquid. It turned slowly, insect legs reaching out as it approached her._

_Struggling to make a sound, her screams only came out as gurgles. She clawed at her own throat, all while trying to move away from the grotesque sight. But her legs would not move, her body failed to obey her._

Sky sat upright with a gasp, forehead smashing into the glass covering of her sleeping pod. Biting down on her lip to prevent the exclamation of pain from escaping, she forced her body to remain still, focusing on her breathing to return her thundering heart to its regular pace, as well as to lessen the agonizing throb on her head. Moaning, she reached to her side to open the pod, taking in huge gulps of cold air.

What the Hell was that?

She recognized the last image branded into her mind: It was, without a doubt, a Reaper. She had seen what Sovereign looked like when she was playing ME1, but this experience was of a whole different level. She could _feel_ the dangerous, ominous hum that clawed away at her insides. Was that what it was like to be indoctrinated? The pain and agony and the inability to control her own body? And those _sounds_… Those sounds were the most difficult thing to forget- the helpless wails of an exterminated race; it sent shivers of fear down her spine.

Blindly groping for her omnitool, she lifted the device to her face and saw that it read 0624. Damn, it was still early, so much so that she could hear the faint murmur of voices of the night crew through the metal plating above her. Knowing that it would be impossible for her to get anymore sleep now, she forced her perspiration-covered body out of the cramp space, bare feet finding comfort from the cold metal floor.

The dream was clearer than it was before, with the additional segment at the end. Was it a sign? Or was her brain just cooking up random images to freak her out?

She briefly entertained the thought of checking if their Commander was still awake, but decided against it. This was a big ship… What were the chances that someone would be in storage at this time?

###

Breathing out slowly, the dark-haired Asian extended her right leg into the air so that her legs formed a perfect 180 degrees. She held that position for a moment, inhaled, before curling her back and pushing out with her hips so that the angle increased.

_8… 7… 6… 5… _She kept her breathing on par with her heartbeat, allowing the calm cadence to ease out the tension within her body. Bringing her leg back down to the ground, she opened her eyes, still focusing on maintaining that perfectly smooth rhythm. Already, she could feel a significant difference. The stress accumulated from the past few days withered and disappeared, replaced by a refreshed and renewed mind. She had to admit, the stereotypes were right. There was something extremely cathartic about Yoga.

"What… Are you doing?" An inquisitive voice quipped out, breaking her concentration. Not used to being snuck up on, she whipped around in surprise.

"Tali!" She heaved out a sigh of relief. She wasn't exactly sure what her subconscious was expecting, but the quarian was a welcoming sight either way. "You scared me."

"Oh sorry." She said apologetically, wringing her three-fingered hands together. "Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me. I wasn't interrupting anything was I?"

Sky hadn't had the chance to have a proper chat with Tai since she boarded the Normandy, especially since she disappeared down the rabbit hole almost as soon as they were let aboard. She recalled the moment fondly; the quarian flittered around the engineering room like an excited butterfly on Ecstasy, promptly ignoring anything the Commander had to say about anything else. A kid in a toy store on Christmas with unlimited credits, Tali's unexpected show of innocence was received well by the ground team, adding many points to her favour. Sky herself had always liked the quarian, even in the first two parts of the trilogy. She couldn't see how that would change here. Being up close, she could see why so many found the quarian attractive. Her gypsy-like, Eastern-European accent was a welcoming change amongst the American-English speaking Alliance crew.

"No. No. You weren't." Smiling reassuringly the psychologist wrapped her small towel around her neck. "That was called Yoga."

"Yo-ga?"

Nodding, Sky reached for her omnitool to pull up some data from the extranet. "I _think_ it's largely a human activity, probably practiced by many asari as well, just of a different form. It combines meditation, stretching and core work into a neat little package."

"Oh. I think we have something like that that we called Kresh'it. Except it doesn't look half as graceful, or… Flowy, as what you were doing."

Leaning onto her left leg slightly, she took a moment to study the alien female before her. She hadn't had much personal experience with quarians, there was just something about the way that they were brought up that did not lead to many highly unstable characters. Being on a closely packed fleet the way they had to probably erased the possibilities of carrying on a mental illness without detection. Still, she would love to learn more about their people.

"Yoga isn't practiced by many, at least, not anymore. Most soldiers prefer to go for a mixture between the two, such as martial arts. But I enjoy it, it helps me relaxed." She said, shrugging. "Tell me more about this… Kresh'it. Sounds interesting."

"It is a fighting style mainly used by the women of the Flotilla, women not on active duty such as the elderly or extremely young. It is mostly practiced to keep their bodies well-oiled and physically fit." Tali giggled, "Although not many of us… Bend the way you can though. Keelah, my body hurt just by watching you."

"It's not that difficult if you have had years of practice." Sky said, grinning. She took a quick glance at the time and noted that they had another hour or so before their meeting. "Have you eaten anything? Do you wanna grab some food?"

"Ah…" The quarian shook her head sadly, "unfortunately this ship isn't well equipped for dextro-amino eaters. Worse, quarians don't have the luxury of eating anything more than our paste."

Wincing, the psychologist couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for her. She couldn't imagine what it would be like living on those horrible cardboard tasting ration bars for the rest of her life. "Oh, I'm sorry, that was terribly insensitive of me."

"It's okay." Tali took in an audible breath and continued bravely, "I guess we never really know what we're missing if we never had it before."

"If you don't mind me asking, what is it like living in a suit?" The suit-armor that Tali adorned was nothing short of beautiful. The patterns of purple and black cloth woven on top of each other reminded her of an ancient Greece goddess- ethereal and formidable. She had seen her briefly in action and marveled at the way she was able to fight so swiftly, using her impressive command of tech to her advantage. She couldn't help but feel as though Bioware underestimated the quarian's true abilities.

"It is… Not easy and difficult to explain. But our extremely weak immune systems make it necessary. We can very easily die from an infection that would only give humans a cough."

Sky shuddered. She knew all this already, but to mentally visualize it herself… "Your people are very strong, to be able to go through all that."

"We have lived this way for centuries, we have acclimatized to it. It is…" She hesitated, "normally seen by most as atonement for our mistakes."

Raising an eyebrow, "Mistakes?" She inquired.

"You know... For creating the geth."

Ah. "I don't actually know much about the geth... Could you tell me more?"

**###**

Sky strolled into the briefing room ten minutes early and wasn't surprised to see both Kaidan and Garrus already in their allocated place, chatting casually. Out of everyone in the whole ground team, they were probably the most responsible. Sitting down next to the turian, she ran a hand through her damp hair, fanning it out in attempt to dry it.

"You humans have strange… Fur." Sky turned to the alien next to her and raised an eyebrow in question, was he talking about her legs? Because she was pretty sure she waxed only three days ago, not that you could see her legs underneath her outfit anyway. "I mean, on your heads." Garrus waved a three-taloned hand towards her general direction. "I mean, doesn't it get in your way? Why don't you just shave it off?"

In the corner of her eye she could see Kaidan trying to stifle a smile. Rolling her eyes she pretended to glare at the turian. "Oh wow Vakarian. Didn't your mother tell you that by insulting a female that you are not well acquainted with, of any species, is basically signing your death warrant?"

"Ah…" He shifted uncomfortably, shooting the Lieutenant a look that said _'save me' _which Kaidan returned with a _'you're on your own'_. "I believe she did mention something along those lines. Terribly sorry, I didn't know that was an insult."

"Just a note, _turian_. I like my hair." She turned away haughtily, raising her nose to the air in feigned hurt. "I don't know why you would say that." Yeah, the trembling voice was definitely a nice touch.

"Right. Right. Again. Apologies, I didn't-" At the flustered look of despair on Garrus' face Sky had to struggle to bite back her grin. "I- Oh. You were joking weren't you?"

"Sorry." She said sheepishly at the look at annoyance the turian sent her way. Even the L.T. couldn't help but smile. "You left yourself open for it."

Garrus fixed her with an icy glare. "Well, _doctor_. Maybe I should educate you about how we turians function. You see when-"

The psychologist saw it coming from miles away. After all, you didn't get paid the amount she did by offering therapy to only humans. Perhaps she should not be having so much fun at the turian's expanse, especially one that she didn't really know, but she could not resist. "Nope," she waggled her index finger at him. "Won't work on me. Alien psychology expert. Spent ages researching turian culture."

At that, Kaidan burst out laughing, patting his blue-armored friend on the shoulder. "Sorry mate, she got you there."

Just as the turian was going to return a scathing reply, or at least what looked like a scathing reply, the metallic double doors opened. Wrex, Ashley and Tali walked into the room and sat down in the various seats. Everyone murmured some form of acknowledgement to each other, although it was blatantly obvious that the female Alliance soldier was avoiding her gaze. Strange, it felt like days since the bathroom incident.

"What's so funny?" Their resident quarian asked curiously as she surveyed the scene. Turning to look at each other Kaidan and Sky burst out laughing again, despite Garrus' promise of death.

"Nothing of importance." The turian growled, crossing his arms. "But I'll get you back for that doc. You watch yourself."

Eye twinkling with laughter she winked at the reptilian-resembling alien. "Bring it on blue-boy."

"Right. Well, at least it looks like we're all getting along." Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus stood up and saluted at the blonde walking in. Herself and Tali shared a look, wondering if they were supposed to follow suit. Wrex, as per usual, just looked bored. But before any of them could lift a muscle Shepard put a hand up to stop them. "At ease soldiers, Vakarian." She nodded at all of them in greeting. "Good to see everyone on time. We have a long couple of days ahead of us, depending on how things go. So I'm just going to start."

Everyone settled down, but still paid such rapt attention to the Commander that aside from the quiet purr of the Normandy, it was quite literally pin-drop silent. "There are only three habitable planets in this cluster. Edolus, Therum and Sharjila and we will be investigating all three, in that order, until we can confirm Dr T'Soni's presence. We suspect that she would be on Therum, as it is the only known location that we have discovered Prothean ruins. However, Admiral Kohaku had asked for a special favour from us, to investigate the Sparta system for his missing marines, which I obliged. Despite this being a Council mission first, we are still largely an Alliance crew. I hope there will be no objections." She stopped. Again, just like before, no one made a sound. "Good. I guess that is settled. Wrex, Ashley, you will be coming with me to Edolus, our first stop. Joker had informed me that we will be there within an hour. So gear up."

"Finally. Some action!" The krogan grinned excitedly, slamming his big fists together. Sky did, however, notice the weary side-glance Williams shot at him. And judging by the contemplative look on the blonde's face, she wasn't the only one.

Hmm… Jane was pretty sharp with this sort of thing huh?

"Go." She gestured to the door.

Nodding, both Gunnery Chief and Wrex shuffled out of the room. Shepard turned her attention back to the rest. "Garrus, you and-" she hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second, "Sky, will be accompanying me to Therum. Depending on how fast we can be done with Edolus, that will probably only be tomorrow. I will come collect both of you when I get back. Alenko, I want you checking and upgrading, where possible, everyone's omnitool. Tali... You just keep doing whatever you're doing in Engineering, it sounds like they could really use your help." She received a nod from both Lieutenant and quarian.

"Everyone understand what they're supposed to be doing?" There was a collective murmur of affirmation. "Good. Dismissed."

**###**

**Shortest chapter, I would think. But I shall make up for it in the next one =]**

**Some more interaction with the rest of the crew. Can I just express my love for Tali? My top three characters in ME1 has to be Tali, Garrus and Liara. Unfortunately, my fondness for Liara only came after playing ME2. But yknow, I just love love love Tali. She's an amazing person, so strong, so kind, so beautiful in personality and nature. Sigh.**

**Anyway, I have a surprise for you on the next chapter! Teehee, brace yourselves. =] **

**So what do you think of my character interactions? Natural enough? Real enough? I can tell you though, I'm worried about the Therum chapter. I don't know how I'm going to convey the action scenes, but anyway.**

**Thank you everyone who read, favourited and subscribed to this story. Special thanks to CuHnadian, Helljumper 1337, S058, Death-Dimension, Liege Lord, PlutoAn, Otaku Addicted Dweeb and Rosiegirl52 for reviewing and giving me great insight. **

**Death-Dimension: I was thinking of that, not everyone is a story is supposed to get along right? =P**

**Otaku Addicted Dweeb: Asian glow no? =P I'm Chinese, so since Sky is supposed to be based off me, tadah. I cannot hold my alcohol AT ALL. But yknow. =P I know, I kind of regretted NOT thinking about Kai Leng before, but oh well, no foul, no shame. =] I hope that the mystery man will still surprised you lot. **

**Rosiegirl52: Tell me about it, Thane, Thane, Thane. I love the guy. I don't know if I can stomach killing him off actually. Asdfghjkl. I don't know how I'm going to get through writing about all the other character's death. I feel like I'm killing a little bit of me inside. **

**I can't wait to go to Berkeley. **

**Anyway, also, interrogation next chapter! Rawrrr. Hope y'all will stay tuned.**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**xx**

**ps. I was thinking of writing another story at the same time. So that I don't get bored with this one yknow? Not saying that I am, just that I might need a slight breather. Any ideas? =]**


	22. Chapter 22 Happy Place

_Hello all. I know, I've been gone for ages. Please do forgive me. I haven't felt much like writing recently, to be honest. Life got in the way and well, stuff just got annoying. But enough of that. I am back! I hope none of you have given up on me. (Please please tell me you haven't) Without further ado, chapter 22!_

**###**

**Chapter 22**

**Back from the Dead**

People often underestimate how much physical pain could change someone. You hear about it from storybooks and movies of course, how only the strongest of the strong can withstand years and years of torture without revealing deathly secrets, etc. But what most civillians forget when they partake within those adventures from a leather couch was the emotional damage that occurs afterwards.

Frank Herbert got it wrong. Fear wasn't the greatest mind-killer. In that category, pain took the cake.

_Flashback:_

_It is that moment of dread, when an impossible Herculean task looms like a dark, ominous cloud and every part of you is screaming to just let it go, to give up and walk away, to forget about it and move on to easier, simpler, happier things._

_That was how Sky felt as she stood before the unassuming, innocent metal doors._

_She was no stranger to pain. In fact, some might even theorize that she could be slightly masochistic. After all, one does not get several tattoos, at least not in the 21__st__ century, without being able to at least stomach __some__ pain. _

_And yet, never had a thought felt so foreboding in her life. It was as though she was about to volunteer herself a place in Auschwitz. Fear and anxiety caused her to shudder so deeply that she had to grab onto the railing by the door to stop herself from turning tail and running away._

_What was it that Lance Armstrong once said? 'Pain is temporary, but quitting lasts forever...' Or something along those lines? Steeling her nerves, she forced her body through the motions of dragging itself through the automatic doors._

"_Sky." Raising her eyes from the ground, she glanced into the concerned, surprised grey eyes of her newest acquaintance, Dr Robertson. "You're back."_

_Smiling weakly the dark-haired girl nodded. "Wouldn't miss this for the world."_

_The petite doctor was standing with a datapad in her hand, obviously midway through some serious number crunching from the frown that Sky noticed as she walked into her office. The stagnant, antiseptic smell of a medical facility was heavily contrasted by the soft pale peach tones that coated the walls and plush leather seats that gave the room a welcoming feel, something she thought most hospitals lacked. It was homey, with portraits of smiling children and elderly couples decorating the walls. She had been too nervous to notice all of this the last time she was here, but she was surprised to find that she was actually partial to the doctor's taste._

"_I was worried about you." Dr Robertson put down the pad she held in her hand and circled around the desk to stand in front of her. "After our session last week… I assumed you didn't want to… Continue anymore."_

_She suppressed the urge to choke as the horrible memories of their previous 'session' came to mind. "No. I said I would do this. And I meant it."_

"_But whatever that was… It was inhumane."_

_She hesitated before replying. "But it is necessary."_

"_Is it?" Sky resisted the urge to flinch under her heavy searching gaze. "Is it really worth it?"_

_No. "Yes."_

_Frowning, the brunette leaned against her desk, white overcoat folding awkwardly beneath her. "Why?" She cocked her head questioningly. "Why is this so important? You can very well live a normal life on the Citadel, quite comfortably actually, without putting yourself through all that torture."_

_What was she supposed to say? Because she needed to help save the Galaxy? Because she had to find a way home? Because she __didn't know what else to do__? Sky shrugged helplessly. All her explanations would make no sense to the doctor, not without her pouring out her deepest, darkest secrets. _

_The past two months have been nothing short of Hell for her. The whirlwind of emotions itself was enough to push her onto the brink of insanity. She was angry, scared, frustrated, sad and tired, oh so very tired. It was the sort of exhaustion and lethargy that flooded her veins and grinded at her bones. And the many sleepless nights and night terrors did nothing but add to her anxiety._

_But worst of all, she missed home, oh how she missed everyone so much. Sometimes she would be blessed with dreams of engaging her mother and brother in a verbal battle over dinner, dreams of playing with her dogs and digging her face into their sweet fur, dreams of cuddling and kissing her beloved boyfriend; only to wake up a sweaty, crying heap on the floor._

_Overall, she was nothing but a hot mess. A big hot mess._

"_It is just something I have to do."_

_The doctor remained silent for a bit. "If you're thinking about this long term, we're going to have to device some sort of plan, a schedule if you'd like. Also, there is an issue with your immunities."_

_Frowning, her hand unconsciously brushed against the small scar that had formed over where Dr Chakwas first injected her with the basic immunization. "Issue? What sort of issue?"_

"_According to your blood work, the standard immunization we give to children is not being received as well. It is not really surprising, considering the fact that you're an adult. But that does mean you are going to require boosters."_

"_Oh." She almost breathed out in relief. That wasn't so bad. "How many?"_

"_Six or seven? Depending again, on your body's ability to adept."_

"_I have no problems with needles."_

"_It isn't just that," Dr Robertson sighed, crossing her arms. "We're stuck in a little bit of a dilemma. You see, stopping the 'biotic acclimatization' sessions would be detrimental to your progress, but we also cannot afford to put any more stress on your body as it tries to come up with its own immunities. According to tests, you are already undergoing significant psychological and physiological strain. I'm afraid doing anymore could truly hamper your ability to function."_

_Oh. "So what are you suggesting?"_

"_We are going to have to stick to a very tight schedule, our sessions will be longer, but also further apart, at least until your body gets used to all that is going on around you." Grimacing, she tapped on her omnitool. "There is no way of knowing how well this will work, or how long this will take. It isn't ideal, especially because I know that you are obviously going through some tough times. Hence why I need to know that you are willing to commit."_

_It was strange how mechanical and professional the doctor could get. If Sky were to have met her outside of this situation, she would have tagged her as anything but, with her small figure and sweet, kind voice. But she had done some digging of her own, pulling a startling amount of information on the doctor off the extranet. A summa cum laude certificate together with an amazing amount of medals were enough to convince her that placing her trust onto Dr Roberston would not be a mistake._

_Hopefully._

_Taking a deep breath, she mentally prepared herself before asking,_

"_What do I have to do?" _

**###**

"It was a trap... What kind of sick bastard would do that?"

Sighing, Jane removed her helmet as soon as they exited the decontamination chamber, running her fingers through the blond locks. Rolling her shoulders, she grimaced, unsure exactly how to answer the Gunnery Chief.

"I don't know Williams. There are a lot of 'sick bastards' out there."

"But still… That was beyond repulsive."

"I won't argue with you on that. But there is no point dwelling on it. We'll report our findings to Admiral Kohaku when we get back to the Citadel. For now, you should go get some rest." Turning to the otherwise silent krogan that was with them, "You too Wrex."

"Yes ma'am." Weariness and frustration coated Williams' voice. Jane's heart went out to the soldier, it had been a tough couple of weeks for her, and she was sure seeing more dead marines didn't help.

Wrex waited until the soldier disappeared from sight before turning to the blonde. "I was hoping for more action than that Shepard. Being thrown around in a little car didn't do much for me."

She couldn't decide if the krogan was being serious or not, but honestly at that moment she didn't really care. "You'll get your fair share of 'action' sooner or later Wrex, patience is key."

He gave her a look that she couldn't decipher, before leaving her. Sighing once again she made her way towards the elevator towards the end of the shuttle bay.

"Commander, ETA to Therum is about 9 hours."

Sighing, the Vanguard rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks Joker. Could you get Sky to meet me in the briefing room in two hours?"

"As you wish."

Mysteries, left, right and centre. She was beginning to get sick of it. It was about time she started getting some _answers_.

**###**

"We devised a pill."

"A pill?" Shepard repeated, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes. Several times a week actually. And as long as I took them regularly, biotics won't affect me."

"A pill."

"Yes."

"One," she lifted up her index finger for emphasis. "Pill."

Sky heaved a sigh that bordered on frustration. "Yes. One. Damn. Pill."

The Commander stared at the woman before her, once again wondering what the Hell happened between them so that Sky couldn't even trust her anymore? "I'm not joking around."

"And what makes you think I am?" Her tone was haughty, defying.

"Dammit Sky!" Her fist slammed on the table, loud and sudden enough to make the dark-haired woman to jump slightly. "What is going on with you? You just keep throwing up walls at me. I'm family for God's sake. So why are you treating me like a stranger?"

The psychologist stood up so fast that her chair flew out from behind her, crashing into the ground with a loud clatter. "Don't give me that bullshit." Shepard almost winced; Sky never used that sort of language. "You were the one to ask me to forget about us being family. So don't use that against me."

Shepard growled, although she couldn't help but feel a little tinge of regret for saying those words. They had came out in the heat of the moment, in attempt to subdue the girl before her. Obviously they did nothing but backfire in her face. "I also told you that if you wanted to be on this ship, you needed to stop acting like a child and do everything I say."

"And I have haven't I?"

"You're lying to me! As your CO I should have you tossed out the airlock for such insubordination. You say you have forgotten about us being family, but no way in Hell would any superior take this sort of crap from a soldier. We may have history, but don't make me regret following after Anderson's recommendation."

She could tell that Sky wanted to scream profanities in her face, with the way her vein on jaw was twitching. But her words must have hit home for instead she bent over to retrieve her chair and sat back down on it. "Anderson had a hand in this?"

"Yes." The blonde sighed, sitting down as well. She had assumed the Captain would have informed Sky of his input, but from the look of surprise on the Asian's face, he hadn't. "I changed my mind after the Council meeting, I wasn't about to drag you into some unknown situation with so many unknown endings, but Anderson stopped me. Told me that you were 'an asset I couldn't afford to lose'. And hence why you are still here."

There was a moment of silence before Sky quietly asked. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Her eyes softened as she looked down at her adopted sister who seemed to be avoiding her gaze. For the first time since their encounter on the Citadel Sky actually looked small, as though she was trying to hide within herself. But that did nothing but fuel her need to understand what the Hell happened.

"Yes."

The dark-haired woman took a deep breath, and she started telling her what she wanted to hear. She told her of everything she had been hiding from her during the past ten years. The training, the true lengths she went for her 'biotic acclimatization' sessions, her real job. So many things that she failed to mention during their decade apart. At the end of it, Jane was beginning to feel like perhaps she didn't know the girl before her at all.

"Why did you hide this from me?" She asked when the room finally went quiet.

Sky looked up, not oblivious to the tinge of pain within her sister's voice. "I didn't want you to worry… And you would have stopped me. I couldn't let you do that."

And she was right. If Jane had known about all this before she would have done everything in her power to stop her. Even now she still thought that all Sky had done was incredibly foolish and naïve. How could she have banked so much on an event like this occurring? What would she have done if she had to be stranded on the Citadel for the rest of her life? She had seen Sky's episode once or twice before, and it nearly tore her into pieces to know that she could do nothing to help her darling sister out; to know that she had been actively doing torture sessions to herself so that she could fight a war she didn't know was going to happen… Something didn't really add up, but the guilt that weighed on her shoulders pushed that thought away for now.

Jane should have been there. She should have been there to hold her hand through the pain, should have been there to stop her. But instead she was too busy for her family, too busy for the really important things.

"I know what you're thinking." The soft, soothing voice of her sister broke through her thoughts. "This is my life Jane. I get to choose to do whatever I want to do with it. And that was what I wanted to do. There is no point crying over spilt milk."

"Spilt milk is a little bit of an understatement isn't it?"

Sky eyed her apprehensively. "I told you all that, because I hoped that you would see I've changed. I'm not who you used to know, and I _have_ grown up. Now I just need you to realize that and stop trying to protect me." She reached across the table to grasp Jane's hand tightly. "I didn't need your protection over the past ten years. I don't need it now."

Her words were gentle, but firm, and they dug a hole in her heart because they were true.

"For what it's worth… I'm sorry."_ For being such a lousy sister._

"There's nothing to be sorry about."

Jane shook her head, still insistent. "I broke a promise."

"Then you can make up for it now."

The two settled into a comfortable silence, each seeking solace in their intertwined fingers. Jane hadn't had that sort of contact with someone in a while, and somehow she felt as though that was the case for Sky as well. Sure things weren't perfect between them, and it was going to take a long time before they did, but at least this was a start.

"Commander." Joker's voice shook them out of their reverie. "There's a call coming through from Captain Anderson. He says it's very urgent."

Jane cleared her throat and stood up, swiftly letting go of Sky's hand in the process. "Patch him through."

Sky got up as well, half torn between leaving and staying, but before she could decide the hazy hologram of the Captain appeared beside them.

"Commander, Skylar." Anderson nodded in greeting at the pair.

"Captain."

"Anderson." Sky hesitated, "Should I leave?"

"Negative soldier." Jane had to stifle a smile as Anderson shot a wink towards Sky's general direction. Being part of the Alliance meant that the Captain always treated her like a soldier. She had forgotten what he was like around civvies. "It would do you good to hear this too."

Turning her attention back to the matter at hand. "What's going on sir?"

"I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to return to the Citadel as soon as you can Commander. There is a certain… Package you have to pick up."

Jane nodded, although clearly confused. "We are on our way to Dr T'Soni sir, but we could turn around now if it is required."

"There is no need for that. He may be impatient but he isn't about to jeopardize an ongoing mission."

"Who is 'he' sir? And what package are we talking about?"

Anderson breathed in deeply, shaking his head. "You're not going to believe this Commander. Frankly, it was difficult for me to believe it myself but-"

The panel next to the Captain's hologram suddenly lit up and a second figure came into focus. Through the lousy quality it may have been easy to mistake the turian that appeared for someone else, but there was definitely no mistaking that familiar, deep, flagging voice.

"Commander Shepard. I suggest you make haste."

It was Nihlus Kryik.

**###**

**BUM BUM BUUUUM!**

**SURPRISEEEEE.**

**A little overdue I know. But... SURPRISE! Either way.**

**Why? How? Ohemgee didn't I say he was dead? I guess you're just going have to stay tuned to see! =D**

**Anyway, I apologize, again, for my hiatus. I saw it coming to be honest. I was spewing chapters left, right and centre for this story. I was going to burn out sometime. But hey! Here I am! Back once again. I'm not leaving for a while, although updates WILL be coming slower since my exams are around the corner. Either way though, badumdumdummm. I'm baaack.**

**Do let me know what you think? As always, I would love to hear from every single one of you. Honestly. Indulge me with your words. I haven't written in hellova long time so do forgive me if I'm a little off target. To be honest, I even forgot half of the details here and had to reread the entire story twice over. Sigh. So tell me if you have any objections to anything? =]**

**I know it is a little late now but still, thank you Helljumper 1337, CuHnadian, Liege Lord, Razor T McCutchn (Ooh new one!), S058, Otaku Addicted Dweeb, stark40763 (another new one!), PlutoAn, greed11 and death77 (again, new! I think.), Chris7221 and Rosiegirl52 for reviewing. Honestly, your words are what pushed me to get onto the computer and write again! I forgot how much I actually missed this. So glad to be back.**

**Amongst all the questions asked, the most common were A) Mystery Man and B) Dreams. Both will be explained in due time, although B probably sooner than A. Sorry guys, I just love leaving y'all in suspense.**

**Peace out my darlings,**

**Love,**

**Fee**

**ps. Remember how I was talking about another story? I've begun one. Go check it out? It's called Letters to God and it starts in ME3. The summary:**

**Commander Shepard: War Hero of Elysium, Savior of the Citadel, Exterminator of the Collectors, Galaxy's Immovable Centre... But in the end, she is still, only human. A human with a secret. "...You're dying Commander."**

**Go go! I think it is so much better written than this current fic. Although do forgive my regular use of expressions. =P**

**See y'all next chapter!**

**x**

**Also, quick question. Would you guys prefer me to reply to all your reviews individually or would you like me to type them out here? I don't want to clog up your inboxes with messages but at the same time I don't want to increase the word count too much. AND I don't want you to think I'm being unappreciative for your amazing encouragements. Let me know? x**


	23. Chapter 23 Q&A

**###**

**Chapter 23**

**Recall**

Something wasn't right.

From the moment the Normandy's Flight Lieutenant interrupted their briefing to inform them of Eden Prime's recent plight, something deep within him told him that this was no ordinary attack, no ordinary enemy.

And Nihlus' gut instincts were never wrong.

Surveying the deathly quiet scene before him, the gnawing at the bottom of his stomach only increased. It was too calm, too quiet. Long ago, he had learnt that every environment had its own natural melody, be it the hum of machinery, cries of animals, or the whispers of insects. But the barren land was unnaturally silent, eerily so.

There definitely was something _very _wrong.

As soon as he confirmed that Eden Prime's atmospheric chemicals were within safe ranges, he had discarded his helmet. Helmets were tricky, heavy things that dampened his sensory abilities. On a stealth mission like this, he would rather forgo that extra layer of protection and have the ability to hear, see and smell everything around him without a filter or screen being in the way.

That was, however, before he realized that the thick, pungent smell of burning flesh was strong enough to eliminate his sense of smell all together. Nihlus had been in this line of work for over a decade, and it did not take much to desensitize the soldier to such unpleasantness. He had only faltered for a second, before mentally blocking the horrid scent from his mind and concentrating on the task at hand instead.

Still… He had seen holos of Eden Prime before the attack. Despite being a turian, the colony was breathtaking enough to even impress _him_. He couldn't help but feel a little disheartened at the loss of such a beautiful place. It was Mindoir all over again.

The humans would suffer from this indeed.

"Nihlus." The sound of his name being called drew his mind back to the present. Kneeling behind a large fallen tree he turned his radio on.

"Shepard."

"We've engaged hostiles. Automated aerial drones by the looks of it."

"Got it. Clear on my end so far. I'll keep you updated."

"Alright." There was a slight hesitation, before the female continued. "Corporal Jenkins is down."

A beat passed and Nihlus almost asked _how?_ But he knew that minute details should be left for after the mission is done. He cleared his throat, mandibles flaring slightly. "Noted Commander."

"Sir." A quiet click told him that she had turned off her communicator.

Three weeks ago, the Council handed him three dossiers and asked for his advice on who should be the first human Spectre. It was a difficult choice for each was a celebrity in his or her own right. There was Lt. Commander Rosenthal, whose parents' parents and every generation after served in the Alliance. And as if the lineage wasn't impressive enough, she was also the sole survivor of the thresher maw attack on Akuze, earning her praise and admiration from billions. But her strict upbringing and obey-the-book behaviour led him to believe she would be better suited as a Captain, and not a Spectre; and so he moved on.

Staff Commander Jason Little, was everything his last name was not. Nihlus had the good fortune to have met the giant of a man once before, and he had briefly wondered if he was, indeed, half Krogan. At the time Nihlus pondered on the possibility that Little was engineered to his size, but was later reassured that the large, burly human male had earned his mass wrestling street rats down in the dusty ghettos of Earth. Unfortunately, his reputation as 'Butcher of Torfan' made Nihlus a little uncomfortable with the idea of placing him in a position where he could freely abuse the Law, hence he disregarded Little as a candidate.

But Jane Amelia Shepard? That was a Spectre in the making if he ever saw one. Her history showed how courageous, intelligent and resourceful the vanguard was while her previous Captain commended her for being both fair and responsible. Coming from the decimated colony of Mindoir and declared the War Hero of Elysium, she was the paradigm of the perfect human soldier: a phoenix that rose from her tragic past into the wondrous fires of glory. He had high hopes for the Commander for he believed she had the strength and ability to go very, very far.

He only hoped that she wouldn't disappoint him now.

"Nihlus." Once again his radio registered Shepard's voice. He was quick to find cover before responding.

"Yes Shepard?"

"You won't believe this but-" Heavy gunfire thudded against the boulder that he was seeking cover from and he cursed himself for getting distracted. The Spectre quickly cut off communication, knowing that he needed to focus on the fight. Taking a quick glance around the rock, it took every ounce of willpower cultivated from his years of training to resist freezing in shock, and to instead begin returning fire.

But despite his solid concentration, one rebounding thought shook him to the core.

Geth!

Beyond the Veil!

The synthetics were relatively easy to take down, but there were only two of them at the moment, and he had a feeling there would be more nearby. Not wanting to risk reactivating any potentially hibernating machines, he forced himself to move towards the general direction of the dig site, but not before delivering several bullets into each machine's flashlight head.

Questions ran through his head at a thousand miles per hour. Spirits! What were the Geth doing here?

Tapping into the channel he quickly resumed their conversation. "Shepard. Sorry about that."

"It's fine." The Commander sounded slightly breathless. "I was about to inform you that there are Geth here."

"I know. I just encountered a couple of them." He couldn't afford to take 'breaks' anymore, so instead he walked quickly, but carefully through the wreckage that was the human colony, weapon tight in his hands, senses on high alert.

"We're nearly at the dig site. I'll let you kno-"

"Holy shit. Commander, what the Hell is-" The disbelief, fear and disgust in Alenko's voice spoke volumes. The link ended just as gunfire began and Nihlus knew that he was on his own for a while.

Damn. This was getting worse by the minute.

**###**

"Saren?"

"Nihlus."

Eleven years as a Spectre was bound to teach anyone a thing or another. To Nihlus, it meant trusting your instincts. Admittedly, it was a very difficult thing to get used to. But after years of trial and error, he began to realize that sometimes our brains made sense of things faster than our conscious can process it. Sometimes our bodies would move without thought, and there was no one else in the Galaxy Nihlus trusted more than his own body.

So why was his body telling him to get the fuck out of there?

Everything about this mission felt wrong. From the Geth's presence, to the easy decimation of an entire colony with 3 million people, to the large Alien mother ship that popped out of nowhere. He could scarcely believe his own eyes when they saw a fuzzy image of the squid-resembling machine on the Normandy, but to see it hovering above him mere minutes before, scared the living daylights out of him.

And you would be hard-pressed to find _anything_ that scared the Spectre.

"This isn't your mission Saren. What are you doing here?"

"The Council thought you could use some help with this one."

His words sent a shiver of confusion up his spine. The Council had never underestimated his abilities before… Well, not in the past seven years at least.

Then again, this was after all Saren that was before him. Saren Arterius, the Council's front line and the Universe's most trusted Spectre. Maybe they had gotten wind that Eden Prime was under attack by more than just pirates. He suppressed a shudder as he recalled the way the Geth dealt with the human corpses. What kind of technology enabled them to transform organics into mindless killing machines? How did the Geth manage to come up with this sort of advance weaponry?

At the same time... He couldn't help but wonder how could the Council have gotten Saren here so fast? And why did they not tell him about it?

And even more importantly, why did his presence seem to aggravate, more than calm him?

Nihlus shook his head, pushing the doubts out of his mind. Saren, whom regardless of their clashing opinions about humanity's ambitions, was the closest thing he had to family. Despite appearances, Nihlus did not know of a more dedicated soldier than the old Spectre.

"I wasn't expecting to find the Geth here." Even as he said it, it was still difficult to swallow. Nihlus was only able to recognized the Geth from the vids about the Quarian's exile dated back almost 200 years ago. It was too surreal. "The situation's bad."

Perhaps it was the way the orange sun dipped into the horizon, filling the sky with sinister crimson. The shimmery brown of sunbeams hitting the wicked, threatening rocks below them brought an image to mind. A hair color rather, of the human psychologist - Doctor Skylar and with it, he was struck by the memory of her last message to him. Nihlus nearly jerked back at the sheer hilarity of his thoughts. Here he was in the middle of a mission and he was thinking about a human doctor?

"Don't worry." He heard Saren's behind him, but his brain brought another voice to mind instead.

_Don't turn your back on your friends._

"I've got it under control."

Shoving the somewhat random intrusion of thought, Nihlus whirled around, mouth half open to ask one of the million questions running through his head and he was given a millisecond to register the circular barrel pointed at his direction.

A trillion and one emotions tore through him in that exact moment. Confusion and apprehension followed by betrayal, hurt, frustration, anger and sadness; and finally, comprehension. As though the last missing puzzle piece finally fell into place and he found all of his answers. Who else could have known about the Prothean beacon and his mission details? Who else but the person closest to the Council?

And yet as each question was dismissed in his mind, three more popped up in its place.

The most important one, _why?_

He clicked his displeasure and uncertainty in a frequency too low for anyone but a turian to pick up. Saren's hand trembled slightly and Nihlus almost thought the old man was just joking around.

A loud bang echoed throughout the docking bay, and the force of the bullet hitting him in the chest at pointblank range tore through his shields, ripped past his armor, and threw him over the edge…

Down to the jagged rocks below.

**###**

"And that was how we found him. He was barely alive, paralyzed and bleeding to death from a shoulder wound so severe that we were lucky the medics found him when they did. A moment longer and he would have been a goner." The Captain explained gravely.

"Oh my God." Jane placed a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in horror. "We didn't care to check, we saw your body and just assumed."

The Turian shook his head and the hologram flickered, trying to keep up with his fast movements. "The beacon was your priority. I am thankful that you did not waste your time with me, as it might have been too late for all of us had you not disarm Saren's-" The way he said the perpetuator's name surprised Sky. You would think one would have more hatred for the person who nearly killed you, but all she could sense was disappointment. "-bombs."

"Right..." Although the guilt was evident in the Jane's voice, Sky knew that the blonde registered the truth behind his words.

"We have much to discuss when we meet. For now I believe it is not wise to reveal our plans over unsecured channels. I trust that you will be heading towards the Citadel after you locate Dr T'Soni?"

"Yes sir."

Nihlus nodded, eyes flickering towards Sky for a moment. Even as a hologram his intense gaze was enough to freeze her in place, just like they did so many years ago. He almost looked puzzled, like he was trying to figure out a mystery that he eventually put aside. Returning his attention to the Commander he nodded at her. "I will see you soon then Shepard."

Jane saluted, "Will you be joining the ground team sir?"

The Turian froze, before his mandibles flared in a way that resembled a strange, sad smile that tore at her heart. He hesitated slightly, before reaching for his overcoat and dragging it off his right shoulder.

Sky stifled a gasp of surprise as she stared at the empty space where she was sure his right arm used to be.

"I can't." This time the psychologist could make out the unadulterated sadness and frustration in his voice.

"I'm no longer able to fight."

**###**

**I feel incredibly bad for doing that to Nihlus. I know. But I needed to do _something_ so that he won't be galavanting all over the Universe and ruining the timeline and all that. Again, everything has consequences, and Sky will be knowing hers soon enough.**

**Quite a poorly written chapter in my opinion. Probably one of my poorest. I've been a little bit of a scatter brain lately. Exams coming up and all. I haven't been doing much and my brain keeps going off in tangents.**

**Anyway, I love Nihlus. If he had lived I would probably prefer him over Vakarian! I know. The horror. =P**

**Thank you SO SO much for everyone that reviewed, read, subscribed and favourited this story. I had the most reviews last chapter than I ever had! I was so shocked, and touched at the same time.**

**Thank you subsider34, greed11, Generator X, CuHnadian, stark40763, Death-Dimension, Liege Lord, Helljumper 1337, Rosiegirl52, Nanobot5770, PlutoAn, Harteramo, S058 and the anons Baka and Shadowfang for reviewing. Honestly, you guys are what keeps me going, keeps me writing.**

**S058 - By the Reveal do you mean Sky's origins? If so then no, not really. It won't be happening for a long time anyway. But certain characters may know it first before others... If you know what I mean. ;]**

**Rosiegirl52 - Hahahaha. Unlikely, but a fascinating idea all the same. =P**

**greed11 - Okay okay, I got it. =P It didn't irk me because you're right. I'll find a way around it eventually. Promise. I can see what you mean about the interrogation bit. I really should have expanded on it more. Maybe I will go back and edit it later on.**

**Baka (referring to Chapter 18's XO) - At that time she was still the XO. She only gets promoted to CO when she leaves the Citadel.**

**subsider34 - I'm glad you're liking everything so far. I know I do. It's a bad habit but I get too lazy to explain certain things in detail. I have that problem. I know, it's horrible. But no real timeskips for a while though! Not large ones at least. **

**Anyway, we'll get to see more action and character interactions next chapter! And we finally pick up Liara. Ooooh. =P**

**Until next chapter!**

**Peace out.**

**Much love,**

**Fee**


	24. Author's Note: THIS WILL BE CONTINUED

Hello all!

I know, I know, it truly has been too long since I've last updated.

There have just been too many things going on with life at the moment. I've begun many things that detract my time from writing. And even then, I find myself out of inspiration to continue this.

HOWEVER. I must say, as of recently I have begun to feel something for this again. Mostly thanks to you reviewers that have been popping messages and reviews once in a while to prompt me forward (thank you.)

But, I can no longer feel much for where I am going with this. And hence (once again) I am going to be doing some revision. I will not be rewriting the entire story, for I have already done this once and I do not want to feel the wrath of ALL of you guys. But I will most definitely be changing a number of significant things.

**So as for now this story is UNDER RENOVATION.**

However, I will most definitely notify you when it can be read again. It will not be so significant of things that will require you to read it all over again, but it will most definitely not make sense if you try to read front to back right now.

So please, stay tuned and keep and ear/eye out for this. Thank you so much all that have stayed loyal and have been urging me to go forward with this. Without you all, I would not have had the heart or courage to do this.

Hope to see y'all sometime soon!

Love,

Fee


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